Stranger Things Have Happened
by Sakura Takanouchi
Summary: “It’s not acting- I really do hate you,” she spat. “We have to follow the script,” Seto reminded her. “Eventually, your character falls in love with me.” He smirked at her shocked expression. “I wonder, will you be acting then?” Setoxwho?
1. If I didn't love you, I'd kill you

Title: Stranger things have happened

Author: Sakura Takanouchi

Summary: The lights are off, the camera's batteries died…but there's no lack of action when a lost bet throws two of the unlikeliest people together in one of the most extraordinary of circumstances.

Rating: T for bad humor, language, and romance

A/N: What was I thinking…? Oh yeah, I wasn't! I don't know what possessed me to write this, boring classes make the mind wander… Well Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Yeah, I took time off to buy up large sums of YGO stock, so I could finally say that I OWN YU-GI-OH, but I had to sell them all to buy the laptop that made this story possible. Now that's irony. I also don't own any thing that I make a pop culture reference to.

Chapter One: If I didn't love you, I'd kill you

"Mokuba, somewhere down the line, I've failed you…" Seto began, trying to control the conversation he'd been planning for all morning. The two had managed to meet up for Saturday lunch, a rare occurrence in both of their busy lives. Seto sighed; ever since they had both finished their education, they had gone their separate ways- so to speak. KaibaCorp had branched out from just simple games to electronics, a smart move on his part. When the world entered the age of technology, KaibaCorp had the biggest piece of the pie- and the profits. Even though their jobs occupied almost all of their lives, it would take more than that to get either brother to leave Kaiba mansion. Seto eyed his brother warily, waiting for his response.

Mokuba, the younger Kaiba by 5 years, was barely out of college when he started his own entertainment label. Even now, for this simple lunch in a small, upscale restaurant, he dressed flashier and more charming than his toned-down brother. Mokuba played with his napkin ring, noting Seto's choice in apparel. He didn't get it, it was June already and Seto never was seen in anything other than the classic long-sleeved button-down shirt, long slacks, and dark brown loafers.

"I went along with the label; it's even got affiliations with KaibaCorp's technology! Now you want to produce a m, m…" Words failed the stern CEO.

"Seto, have you ever seen a movie?" Mokuba asked defensively. "Have you ever been to a theatre? Do you know anything about making people laugh, making them happy?"

"KaibaCorp's products make people happy." Seto argued. He ran a hand through his thick chestnut hair; this was not going as he had planned. This whole encounter was a setup, he just knew it. Mokuba Kaiba had chosen this place, he said it was one of his 'favorites', Seto supposed it was nice enough. A little loud and too many windows for his taste, though. He'd reserve judgment until he tasted their food. But it gave his brother a home field advantage, and Seto was determined not to fund any more of his younger brother's passing whims.

"Why do you want to make a movie?" Seto asked resignedly. He had to admit, MKE (Mokuba Kaiba Entertainment- who was calling who vain now?) was taking off, and anything his label produced was bound to be a hit. Seto never had the time for the movies and video games that Mokuba loved so much growing up. Well, ok, the occasional video game did find its way into Seto's hands, but movies? Who had time for them?

"MKE needs to diversify; we need to make a summer blockbuster to boost our reputation as the hottest entertainment label," Mokuba replied with a determined pout. Seto nearly choked on an ice cube. "Blockbuster…you don't mean…"

"We've got the screenplay draft a week ago, for a very promising light comedy," Mokuba frowned at his brother's reaction.

"We're. talking. about. making. a. girl. movie. aren't. we?" Seto hissed, looking around at the other booths to make sure nobody was listening in to their conversation.

"Not if we cast the right people, and target it to all young people—Seto!" Mokuba whined at his brother's death glare. "This is not a _chick flick_." He whispered the last two words, trying to provoke a reaction from his brother. They fell silent as the waitress appeared, carrying two plates loaded with food. Mokuba bit into his sandwich eagerly, lettuce spilling out of the other side. Seto grimaced. Even at 21, he still hadn't learned to eat properly. His own plate of beef not going unnoticed, they both ate while their minds turned over this new, ahem…_project_.

"I think I know why you're so scared of this whole movie proposition," Mokuba began between bites of sandwich. Ignoring his brother's caustic remarks, he continued, "You don't remember the last time you ever saw a movie, you've never had a girlfriend to take to a movie, and face it, you don't even know the first thing about what it takes to make a movie." Mokuba chewed on a French fry smugly. "Go ahead, correct me if I'm wrong."

Seto glared at him and shoved a piece of meat into his mouth.

"I'm waiting for it."

Chomp chomp, chew, swallow. Repeat.

"You know," Mokuba said, leaning forward, as if he was about to reveal a surprise, "I'll bet that MY movie can make the top 3 at the box office, opening weekend. You know what; maybe I don't even want your help. You'd just take all the credit for our success and I'd be nowhere. I'll go to some other studio, like maybe…" he grinned wickedly. "Industrial L&M."

"You wouldn't!" Seto recoiled as if he'd been stung.

"You weren't going to help me out anyways," Mokuba replied calmly; a complete turn-around from the start of the meal. "We don't even need that much from you. We've already got sponsor support as well as all the production staff already hired I mean, it doesn't take that much time, effort, or money to film one small summer blockbuster. It's a very low-risk, high-reward venture." Mokuba crossed his fingers under the table. 'What Seto doesn't know won't hurt him…'

"I'll do it."

Mokuba's head jerked up. "Repeat please?" Just to make sure he hadn't fallen asleep.

"I'll help with the movie in any way I can," Seto grunted disagreeably. Hey, it was just for one summer; he could handle anything his kid brother cooked up. "But…"

Mokuba's eyes grew wide. Trying not to fidget nervously, he replied, "Sure, Seto, name your condition."

"If this movie doesn't debut at the top 3, what do I get?"

Mokuba hadn't thought about this. Sucking on his straw, he mused thoughtfully. "What do you want?"

"Let's name it as a favor- no rules, exceptions, anything- to be declared later," Seto stretched his arms, enjoying his brother's worried state. Mokuba looked…desperate for a moment, like getting Seto's help was his last resort.

"Deal," Mokuba said almost a little too quickly, his mind still whirling. "But you have to name the favor before the movie debuts."

Each of the brothers Kaiba finished their meal in relative silence, and each left the table thinking they had bested the other. Each got into their separate limo; Seto's to return him to meetings and hours of incomparable drudgery, and Mokuba's to drive him to his studio, on the other side of downtown. Really, they were just four blocks away.

MKE's studio took up a corner of another prominent building in the Domino skyline, prominently situated in what could be called the 'hip' quarter of town. Flanked by trendy stores, top restaurants, and several nightclubs, Mokuba felt right at home. His brother didn't understand the meaning of true creative genius like he did. He was a genius in his own right, but they just chose to display it in different outlets. Upon seeing his complex, Seto had refused to come in, instead always finding a different place to meet or talk. "That's because he's too damn uptight," he grumbled upon exiting the limo and staring at the grand entrance before him. 'One thing a Kaiba can do is know how to make an entrance.' Large plate glass windows seemed made to hold iTunes posters; the combination of bold red brick and colorful awnings on the upper floors provided a touch of whimsy. Large letters spelling MKE couldn't help but be seen from the street. Mokuba quickly entered the building through the revolving glass door.

He smiled appreciatively. Maybe it was pent up rebellion, but when he chose his own studio, he made sure it was as far from the sterile efficiency of the KaibaCorp building as possible. Overhead lighting illuminated the black stone floors, which stood out prominently from the purple paint that was said to match his eyes. Random people lounged on plush couches set against the walls, and Mokuba immediately approached the receptionist's desk that guarded the hallway with Mokuba's favorite feature: clear glass elevators that looked out over the atrium created by the elevators.

"Good afternoon, Reiko," Mokuba greeted his fair-haired receptionist kindly. "Any new messages for me?"

The woman responded by lifting up a huge stack of papers, mail, and other notes. "All in one morning?" Mokuba whined.

"And that doesn't even include the phone calls," the receptionist hid a smile by ducking her head, amused at her boss' obvious displeasure. Mokuba lifted up the heavy stack of paper and hauled it to the elevators, grumbling good-naturedly every step of the way.

His office was on the 10th and top floor that the company owned, using several floors below as soundstages, studios, and recording rooms. There was also space for the R&D, Publicity, Marketing, and Recruiting Departments on other floors. Mokuba couldn't help but smile as he entered his office. When he started MKE, he felt like finally he had found his calling. Too bad Seto didn't always see it that way. Mokuba must have gotten Seto drunk to agree to support the label during its inception, he couldn't fathom any other way that his brother let him start his own entertainment label. Seto was becoming near obsessed with finding his successor- at 26, he couldn't start any younger. Mokuba recoiled in realization, frantically shifting through his papers to settle his mind. 'He's going to make me give up MKE…that's the favor if this movie doesn't make it…'He immediately dumped the papers unceremoniously on his already cluttered desk and started frantically typing on his computer. 'I won't let Seto win this bet,' he decided, 'I'm going to try my hardest to make this movie a success!'

Eyeing the ever-growing pile of work on his desk, he sat down in his chair and sighed. That was when it hit him. A way to get around his debt- well, if the movie flopped (not even a possibility), but he wasn't taking _any_ chances. 'Seto needs an heir…' his mind raced. 'I've got to find him a girl, someone he can take to our movie! Then he doesn't have to be breathing down my neck all the time.' He grinned. 'Hey, its summer, anything's possible…' A small icon in the bottom corner of his monitor blinked. He had a new email in his inbox. This was top priority.

_'He's agreed to help in 'any way he can'…__get everything ready,__ we're making a movie. Lights, Camera, Action!'_

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Welcome back, fanfiction! To explain my absence…it took me awhile to truly 'unleash my imagination' I suppose. Now it's coming out too much, and leaving me to deal with finishing it! (When it rains, it pours…) I suppose this means I'm back with a vengeance, throwing some lovely humor your way. It's been awhile since I wrote something funny, I hope I'm not deluding myself…

Quick note: I chose Industrial Light and Magic (don't own it) because it's in San Fransisco and sounds like Industrial Illusions. Think Star Wars and Indiana Jones, people.

It's time for the I'm-too-lazy-to-do-research spiel: I don't know much about making a movie. There, I admitted it. If any of you readers know, please enlighten me with technical terms and stuff so I don't look (sound? Read? Come across as?) stupid, 'kay? Thanks bunches!

Thank you all for reading my story! I'll try and update soon (Stranger things have happened, right?)

Sakura Takanouchi


	2. Your loss is still your loss

Title: Stranger things have happened

Author: Sakura Takanouchi

Summary: The lights are off, the camera's batteries died…but there's no lack of action when a lost bet throws two of the unlikeliest people together in one of the most extraordinary of circumstances.

A/N: Warning; this chapter is basically akin to me throwing up ideas onto this page. Think about it. Actually, don't.

Disclaimer: Don't own it. It is my plot, though.

Chapter Two: Your loss may be my gain, but it's still your loss

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The rest of the world may have been still resting in their beds, but one girl was ready to take on the day. In the time it takes some people to merely get out of bed, she had managed to get out of bed, shower, and eat something that didn't come from a box.

The clock struck 9 as Serenity rolled out her yoga mat and slowly started to breathe, closing her eyes and letting the rays of the sun wash over her. That was one of the reasons she loved her apartment. Sure, it was cramped, cluttered, colorless, and costly, but did it have a view.

Not long after she had finished graduate school, she had visited this apartment right before sunset and had bought it on the spot, just for the huge windows in every room. She even had a small balcony that connected to a portion of the tiered roof via a fire escape ladder. It didn't hurt that it was in the 'artsy' part of downtown Domino; she needed someplace close to the art supply store where she worked. It was perfect, and once she had enough money to fix it up it would be presentable to company. She blushed to the roots of her hair just thinking about letting anyone see this mess. Her apartment was stocked with classic dorm furniture- futon, fridge, and tiny twin bed to boot. Blank canvases as well as finished ones leaned against every wall. She would rather die than let anyone in; her friends constantly reminded her of that.

She fumed silently, going through the poses and meditation. 'This is supposed to be my time, not time to remember how absolutely right they all are!' Serenity couldn't remember a time when she was in control of things. She spent her teen years constantly under the shadow of her brother, Joey. 'They treat me like such a child!' But opening her eyes and looking around, she hated to admit that, at 25 years old, things could be a little better.

She was grasping for a ray of hope. 'At least I've got my own place, and I paid for it myself, with money from selling my paintings.' She had to part with her favorite, a bold, modern yellow sunflower on a blue backdrop, to pay for this place. Thoughts drifting uncontrollably to meetings past, she cringed at the memory of more criticism.

_"You never have any money, Serenity. You can't be a poor student forever."_

_"Hurry up and get a boyfriend, that way you can move in with him!"_

_"__Ssh__! Her brother's coming. Oh Serenity, your hands have paint all over them…"_

Pushing all thoughts of meditation aside, she curled up in front of the TV to watch the morning news. Why did everyone have such a problem with how she chose to live her life? Maybe this was why she valued her independence so much. This part of her life meant so much right now, and she didn't want to change a thing.

The shrill ring of the cheap wall phone brought her out of her reveries.

Other people had other plans.

"Hello—"

"_Oh good, Serenity, I didn't know if we were going to get a hold of you!"_

She rolled her eyes. 'What, did she think that I would be somewhere else?'

"Well Mai, now that you do have a hold on—of me, what is it?"

_"Just a small lunch today; I want to make sure that my bridesmaids are ready to help me with every step of the way. __I can't believe how excited I am! W__ell__ I'll be outside your apartment at 11; okay? Bye!" Click. _I let the phone rest back in its cradle on the wall.

This past Christmas, her brother, Joey, had finally got up the courage to propose to Mai Valentine, and everyone couldn't be happier. It was about time, she'd been expecting it, and now a date was finally set. August 20th was the big day. That reminded her; she needed to get Joey and Mai a wedding present. Eyeing the blank canvases in the room, she had the perfect idea…

She had lost herself in the painting, an all too familiar feeling. So far, the canvas was now painted red, fading out darker at the corners. Using several shades of the color had given the background an added depth. Happening to glance up at her wall clock, she nearly dropped her brush. 'Yikes! Mai's going to be here in 10 minutes!' Making sure to wash her hands of all paint, she quickly changed into a yellow shirt and jeans. Sperry's that matched her eyes completed the ensemble. She could hear her cell phone ringing, but now where did she put it?"

_'Apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur…'_

Following the music, she made her way into the bedroom. There it was, hiding below her purse. Taking the purse along, she grabbed her keys and made her way outside.

Mai couldn't help but be conspicuous in her deep purple convertible. She had pulled up right in front of the door, annoying delivery people and mailmen alike. She tossed her blonde curls over one shoulder upon seeing her soon to be sister-in-law.

"I got us a reservation at Maggiano's, so we can't be late. Come on!"

Serenity hopped into the passenger seat and they drove away. "Tea is going to be meeting us there, ok? I can't wait; I've been bursting to talk about all of our plans for…the wedding!"

Both girls couldn't help but shriek at the mere mention of it. Now _this_ was going to be a summer worth remembering.

"Next time, Mokuba, I swear I'm choosing the place…" Seto growled in frustration. Sure, this place had a reputation for good food, but the ambiance…? And he hated family-style dining, just give him his own portion, how hard of a request is that?

"I invited you, I choose. Besides, you like Italian," Mokuba said, picking up a piece of bruschetta and popping it in his mouth.

"This is tacky, loud, annoying, food-sharing,"

Mokuba ignored the growing list of faults. He liked the place, always had. It was elegant, yet casual. Italian music weaved its way around the tables. And man, could they serve bruschetta.

"Don't you want to know why I asked you to come here?" Seto paused at his brother's words, partially amazed at how Mokuba could articulate with his mouth so full. Well, they certainly were not there just for lunch, there had to be another motive. Mokuba took his silence as an invitation to speak. "Not that I have to tell you any of this, but we've just started the first part of Operation: Spread the Word! We've decided to pull a major publicity stunt to kick off our production—"

"But you haven't even started production yet." After getting himself into this agreement, Seto had been up half the night researching about filmmaking, so that at least one of them would know what they're doing.

"Open auditions!" Mokuba called gleefully, unable to hold it in any longer. "For A-list stars as well as total amateurs. Everyone has a chance to star in the movie, so it will generate tons of buzz about this." Mokuba looked starry eyed as he continued. Seto chewed on the appetizers slowly. Mokuba actually made sense…generate publicity as well as the chance to hire a nobody…for much less money. Maybe his brother knew what he was doing after all. Good, because Seto hadn't even began to think about what he would request if he won the bet.

"Our auditions start in three days," Mokuba said, snatching the last piece of food right as Seto leaned in to grab it. "Once we have our cast, filming will begin. We've already got the entire sets ready, and we're even going on location to film for two weeks!" Seeing Seto's disgruntled expression, Mokuba smirked. "Jealous much? Didn't know that making a movie would be this much fun? Well, you can come with us if you'd like."

"I'd have to come, just to make sure you didn't do something stupid."

At that moment the waitress came, balancing a huge tray laden with plates. Placing a huge bowl of meat and pasta on the table between them, Mokuba immediately began to dig in, moving large amounts of pasta from the main bowl to his own plate. Seto looked on in disgust. "That's your half of the bowl."

"Whatever." Mokuba's mouth was already half full with pasta, stopping only every few minutes to get a drink or wipe his mouth before tucking in as avidly as ever. "Let's just eat lunch."

"Come on girls, its lunchtime!" Mai Valentine led the way as the trio entered the restaurant. They found themselves in a small reception area adjacent to the bar. Serenity looked around in amazement at the space. Wood paneling served to warm up the space; antique photos only encouraged the intimate atmosphere. This was nice, almost too nice.

"Why did you choose this place?" Serenity asked her friend as she marched up to the podium, announcing the reservation under 'Valentine'. They were led into the main dining room, two stories of red leather booths and gleaming tables hid happy patrons and delicious food- Serenity's soul craved to be a part of it.

They were shown up the grand staircase to a booth overlooking the main floor. Serenity scooted in; she sat alone across from Mai and Tea. Almost as soon as they were settled, a handsome waiter came to take their drink orders. They were joking and talking about what to order when Mai suddenly glanced over her menu. "Hey, guys! Look over there! No, ugh, don't make it obvious!"

Tea and Serenity turned around, from where they were practically hanging over the railing. "What are we even looking for?" Serenity asked.

"See that guy sitting in the booth on the lower level, the third one from the right corner? Doesn't he look a lot like Mokuba?" Mai leaned in to get a closer look.

"Mokuba? You mean Mokuba _Kaiba_?" Tea's gaze focused. "Yeah! Wow, he's grown up, hasn't he?"

"He may be grown up, but he still hasn't learned how to eat," Serenity said, giggling, as the girls watched Mokuba, strands of pasta falling out of his mouth.

"Do you know that KaibaCorp practically controls every electronic or tech. company in East Asia?" Tea commented, drawing strange glances from the other two. "Hey, I read, you know," she replied defensively.

"Well, I heard that the Kaibas are ruthless at business, doing whatever they can to remain ahead of the pack," Mai said, sipping her water. "I would hate to be involved in any way to them."

"Who's he eating with?" Serenity asked, squeezing a lemon wedge into her water.

"Probably his brother," Mai said, shrugging it off. "Heartless bastard if I ever saw one."

"I've never heard anything positive about him," Serenity said as garlic bread sticks and oil were placed on their table for the girls to share.

"That's because you're Joey's sister," Tea stated emphatically, dunking a bread stick into the oil. "Joey will probably never forgive the man for putting him down all through high school."

Serenity nodded, taking a bread stick for herself. If everyone had this opinion on him, this had to be the truth. No one could be that misunderstood. She remembered Joey retelling dozens of stories of scuffles between Kaiba and her brother. They always ended with Joey punching Kaiba, so he got what he deserved…right?

As the chicken parmesan was delivered to their table, Mai's eyes shone with delight. "I almost forgot what we came here for," Mai said. "We have barely three months before I… get… married!" The girls squealed, drawing the attention of several tables nearby.

"We need to go over so many details!" Tea said, twirling some plain pasta on her fork. "Like tell us all about the reception, dinners, bridal shower, bachelorette party, everything!"

"I want to know about the dress," Serenity said dreamily.

"That's why I invited you all out to lunch," Mai said smugly. "I want your input and help for everything. In fact, to answer your question, Serenity, we're all going shopping next weekend!"

The girls squealed again. Cries of "purple", "no, peach", "you want WHAT!" echoed around the table. Serenity smiled. Things were looking so great, and everyone was so happy. Nothing was going to bring her down.

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A/N: A treat of a new chapter for you! I hope everyone likes, this work was very well-received, 50 hits in less than 24 hours! Now if I'd just get some comments… I really want to know everyone's take on my story. It is by no means planned out, I take all advice cheerfully!

Quick question: Does everyone think I'm getting Seto and Mokuba's brotherly relationship right? I want to portray them as real siblings that argue a lot and have short tempers and peculiar personality quirks- much like typical Mokuba and Kaiba! I just feel like they've both outgrown the juvenile, 'I love you, big brother!' awwww relationship.

Thank you for reading! Next chapter will be up in time for my spring break, I promise!

Sakura Takanouchi


	3. Opportunity Knocks on Wood

Title: Stranger things have happened

Author: Sakura Takanouchi

Summary: The lights are off, the camera's batteries died…but there's no lack of action when a bet forged throws two of the unlikeliest people together in one of the most extraordinary of circumstances.

A/N: SPRING BREAK!!! Break me off a piece of that Spring Break!

Disclaimer: Don't own YGO characters or any pop culture references. But let's count how many movies I try to take a stab at, shall we?

Chapter Three: Opportunity knocks on wood

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"Hey, Serenity, what's up? You've barely said anything?" Mai asked her friend. They were both relaxing, enjoying iced coffee in an outdoor café situated on Serenity's apartment block. It looked new, and the drinks they served were delicious. Serenity's French braids rustled in the wind; she was glad that she pulled her hair back. Mai looked impeccable, as usual. She hadn't toned down much when she became engaged, and Serenity admired that. She was able to be in a relationship and maintain her individuality (and distinct personality and style traits Serenity thought would never leave her). Perhaps this was why Serenity liked being around the boisterous blonde.

"Oh, well, I'm just thinking." At Mai's expectant stare, Serenity continued. "This is the first summer where I don't have to _do_ anything. I don't have school anymore and my job is nothing more than a job. I don't need to prepare for anything. I can just do what I want to do." 'Now if I can just figure out what that is…'

Mai took a large sip of her drink. "You're sure you want to just be an artist? Freelance is a tough road."

'Like you'd know.' Serenity kept her cool, just continuing to sip her beverage. "I just want to do what makes me happy, Mai."

Mai smiled secretively. "Lilies."

"Hmm?" Serenity's head jerked up at the new conversation topic.

"We've decided that Lilies will be the main flowers at the wedding," Mai gushed, as if revealing a secret. Serenity squealed; lilies were beautiful flowers. "I wanted birds of paradise, but your brother put his foot down."

"So that's the inspiration for the wedding?"

"We'll see." Mai said, with a knowing look.

"But I can't believe that tomorrow is going to be the big shopping excursion!" Serenity wanted to talk about what was occupying her thoughts for the past several days. "You're going to look so beautiful in whatever dress you choose."Serenity looked around, her breathing slow. 'This really is relaxing. And who knew that this café was so close?'

"You don't know how many magazines we've got laying around the house. And most of them are subscriptions. I don't know what Joey's going to say once we actually tie the knot, and they keep on coming." She chuckled softly.

Serenity sucked at her drink; the gurgling noise signified it was almost empty. The girls were interrupted from their reveries by a large commotion coming from around the street corner. Their drinks and wedding daydreams instantly forgotten; the girls stood up from their chairs to get a better view of what was going on. Faint music was getting louder. "It looks like it's coming from the direction of my apartment…" Serenity noticed.

They watched as a tall truck came around the corner, driving on the street towards them. It was the type of vehicle that had marquees on the sides, and there seemed to be a flashing light and music attached to the car. Serenity sighed; this was absurd. Didn't these people know that just being loud and obnoxious didn't get anything across? 'I feel like a genie is waiting right behind that truck to announce Ali Ababwa.' She turned to her friend, who looked much more interested than she was. "Can you believe this?"

"Hey, I think that it's kind of cool," Mai said. Serenity's eyebrows rose. She was defending this parade? _Charade_ was a better fit. The first truck was indeed followed by more trucks; each having scrolling ads on the sides. Over the music, a voice was blaring. _"The hottest label to hit Japan is launching its newest project! Now you, too, can have the chance to star in this new movie! Open auditions will be held starting tomorrow! Head over to MKE's studio to sign up and you could be a STAR!"_

Serenity grimaced. Who in their right mind would support something like this? And what did MKE stand for, anyways? This was a publicity stunt, and that voice even was annoying. But obviously, no one else thought the way that she did. People were gawking, watching, cheering, and not even caring that the entire street was blocked off. There was balloons and confetti. Everywhere. If looks could kill, the whole thing would have gone up in flames.

"Earth to Serenity?"

"Oh! Sorry…" She snapped back out of the haze and focused more on her friend. "What did you say?"

"You should enter it." Mai said, smirking at Serenity's expression, a mix of frustration and horror. Mai let out a laugh. "Come on, it would be perfect. You already know how to act; you were in the play your senior year, weren't you?"

Serenity paled. "Now's a great time to bring that up… I don't even want to think about that experience." Serenity was a part of the team that painted sets for plays. She was just playing around, and without even meaning to audition, she was cast as a supporting role in that play. It was, actually…a lot of fun, but that was something she'd never admit to Mai. Serenity was never one to shy away from new things, but there was no way in hell she would support something this obscenely extravagant. It just seemed wrong to her.

"Why don't you want to? You said it yourself, you have a free summer. What do you have against this?"

Mai's words rang through Serenity's head. She turned, confused, watching the parade slowly move past where they were seated, once again, in front of the café. 'This could be my opportunity to actually do something, to free myself from this cycle of life that I can't seem to escape.' And that was when Serenity Wheeler discovered that she really, _really_, wanted a role in that movie. She wanted to get involved and change everything that had so disgusted her. She had to believe that she could make a difference.

Running a hand over her hair to smooth any flyaways, she looked inquisitively at Mai. "So, do you think that I can do it?"

"I know you can! In fact," she added, winking, "If you don't sign yourself up, I think I just might for you…"

Serenity ' s eyes darted back to rest upon the face of her friend. She froze. 'Friend,' she scoffed. 'Friends don't try to control your life! I'm perfectly capable of making choices on my own, regardless of the consequences. Starting with this one.'

Blinking slowly, Serenity managed a weak smile. "Look at all of these people. The contest is probably just a publicity stunt. Some famous actress is going to get the role. I'd rather focus my time on painting."

Mai nodded. "That makes sense…kind of. Alright, I've got to go meet Joey, but you don't forget about our shopping tomorrow! We're going to find the perfect dresses for all of us!" Waving goodbye, Mai threw her empty cup into a garbage can, walking down the road in the opposite direction of the now-gone parade. Watching Mai's retreating figure gave Serenity an idea. Quickly throwing her cup into the same trash can, she darted down the street like a nervous rabbit before all courage left her.

Serenity panted for breath. She had to lean against the wall of the building for support, and she kept checking around her, to make sure nobody recognized her. She felt like an idiot. She had just run in a huge lap around her apartment building complex. But it was all worth it to her. Because right now, she felt much like Dorothy would upon seeing the gates of the emerald city for the first time.

'I am Serenity, the small and meek.'

Damn straight. She looked up until she felt her neck cry out in protest. Who knew that MKE had their headquarters in her building? Serenity gulped. She should learn to watch her back- literally. Swarms of people rushed past, in and out of those elegant rotating doors. Everyone seemed so…purposeful. So confident. Serenity just hoped some of that got rubbed off onto her. 'So…let's sign up!'

She joined the river of people through the doors, and once inside, Serenity became a boulder in that river. The lobby of MKE was just so stunningly cool, that she had to stop for a moment to take it all in. The walls were a beautiful shade of purple, and she gasped as she caught sight of the speedy glass elevators, giving those inside a view that Serenity would kill for. Before she knew what was happening she had become her own coach. 'Be confident…they won't hire someone who looks like they're lost!' Striding up to (what she hoped was) the reception desk, she released a smile.

"How may I help you?" The receptionist looked friendly, but bored.

"I'm wondering where I can sign up for the open auditions, for MKE's new movie," Serenity tried to keep her voice low and even, but it ended up coming out as more of a squeak.

The receptionist (Serenity saw that her name tag read 'Reiko') laughed in an easygoing way, hoping to put the shy girl at ease. It worked, sort of. At least Serenity wasn't looking like she was going to bolt without warning.

"Just fill out this form, dear, and someone will be in touch with you today. Your audition should be tomorrow," Reiko smiled again at Serenity's astonished expression. "Yes, things do tend to run pretty fast here at MKE. But don't worry; everyone will get a chance to audition for the director himself!" Reiko sounded excited, handing her a pen. Serenity rolled it between her fingers upon instinct, almost tucking it behind her ear. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the gold-colored impression of the letters MKE emblazoned onto the writing utensil. Nodding her head in thanks, she retreated to a comfortable leather chair in the corner of the lobby to complete the form.

Many other people were doing the same thing, she realized. People were using coffee tables, the walls, even each other's backs to fill out the questionnaire. Serenity found the armrest of her chair an adequate substitute writing surface, and happily began to answer the questions. They were mostly involving her information: name, age, address and telephone number, but there were other questions where Serenity wrote about her experiences with theater and how the arts played such a huge role in her life.

Even though she finished quickly, Serenity was content to lounge in the chair, staring dreamily around the lobby. Although it was busy, she found it rather soothing. She always felt better in the middle of things; this at least was testament to that. Watching the steady flow of people into the elevators made her wonder what happened beyond this lobby. This was an entertainment label, but Serenity wasn't exactly aware of what that meant. They were making a movie. Did they hire for other facets of the industry? What exactly constituted 'entertainment?' 'Certainly not that parade earlier.'

Kicking her feet against the soft leather of the chair, Serenity decided she had been there long enough. Quickly dropping her form into the bins, Serenity gasped at the sheer number of applications already being handled. It was astonishing how big this had become.

Shakily she left the MKE studio and turned the corner to head to the lobby of her own apartment complex. It dawned on her now that she would need a miracle to get any part on that movie, even if it was just as an extra. But most of all, Serenity just wanted something that was hers, and hers alone- something she didn't have to share with Mai and Joey, or worry about what everyone thought about her life. She entered her apartment, both proud and apprehensive about what she had done.

"Mokuba, I've been hearing the strangest news floating around the office." Seto's voice was calm, but Mokuba could tell without seeing his brother's face that he was one thing away from an explosion. "Would you like to know what I'm hearing?"

"Uh…sure, Seto, what?" Mokuba waved in Reiko, who was staggering under the weight of a ream's worth of paper.

"People were talking about some disturbance happening only blocks away from my building. Something about trucks, ads, and music. That whole part of downtown was blocked off and people were swarming around _the MKE studio_. Now, I thought to myself, why did I have to hear this information from my employees? If my brother was going to act like an idiot and throw this spontaneous parade—"

'_Tirade_ is more like it,' Mokuba thought, holding the receiver a distance from his ear.

"You'd think he would let me know! I offered to help you with this movie, don't insult that by pulling another stunt."

"You done?" Mokuba yawned. He could practically hear Seto fuming on the other end of the line.

"Now, I need you to come by the studio tomorrow. Now, I know you will do anything to not be drawn in by the magnetic charm of my establishment, but as a lot of the filming is done in the studio, I need you to be there. You also need to meet a few of the higher-upps in this endeavor. So, be sure to swing by at noon-ish, and we'll get started. Oh, and Seto?"

Seto grunted in response.

"You've got to admit that party had style."

Seto sighed as he heard the telltale click that the conversation was over. He had been fully intending to chew out his brother for that parade earlier in the afternoon, but instead, Mokuba had turned the tables on him and forced him to abandon his working time, and his lunch time, to go into his brother's studio. He had sworn that he'd never enter it, but he guessed he'd have to live with that. Sighing, he resumed his work, fingers moving methodologically over his keyboard, eyes narrowed in concentration.

Back in his office, Mokuba was leafing through the ream of paper that Reiko brought in. Here was every document compiled on the movie. On top sat the treasured screenplay- the base on which the movie rested. Mokuba pulled the first page from the stack and began to read. _'Do you believe in love at second sight…?'_

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A/N: Honestly, guys, is this even worthwhile? I think this story has great potential, but no one wants to encourage me. I know you shadow-lurking readers are out there somewhere, and if you've already spent the time to read, why not send a comment along?

Quick Question: I'm not sure I like this title. I mean, it's supposed to represent the quirky and situational humor at large in my story (right?). If I changed it to anything, it would probably be 'Love at Second Sight' or something…let me know if you like that better, or have any suggestions.

I'll be bringing my computer to the warm beachy place where I'll be in seclusion for awhile…but hopefully chapter four will come your way in no more than a week. Look out for it!

Sakura Takanouchi


	4. Beautiful Catastrophe

Title: Stranger things have happened

Author: Sakura Takanouchi

Summary: "It's not acting- I really do hate you," she spat. "We have to follow the script," Seto reminded her. "Eventually, your character falls in love with me." He smirked at her shocked expression. "I wonder, will you be acting then?" Setoxwho?

A/N: I'm so excited for this chapter! Hope you like it! Notice the new summary! Also, people have been complimenting me on my chapter titles! You have to search a little to connect them to anything in their respective chapters, but they're fun! Like Spring Break!

Disclaimer: If I owned YGO, don't you think I would have told you by now?

Chapter Four: Beautiful Catastrophe

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Serenity was an absolute mess that morning. She had woken up at the crack of dawn on a weekend no less. Looking in the mirror that faced her bed she nearly died. She looked awful! Her auburn hair was all piled onto one side of her head, her eyes looked tired, and her cheeks were flushed. Well, at least she gave herself plenty of time for the audition. She could still remember yesterday's phone call.

_"Miss Serenity Wheeler, we are calling to confirm that you have entered the MKE Search Talent Audition. Your audition will be at 11AM tomorrow morning. We will give you an excerpt of the script to read; you may be asked to do a scene with a partner. Good luck and thank you for supporting MKE!"_

Serenity groaned. She needed a shower, breakfast, and a killer look to get her through the lobby and into one of those clear glass elevators. She knew what she had to do. Serenity instantly went into power-shop mode.

Scarcely an hour and a half later, she was shampooed, conditioned, scrubbed, shaven, and had frozen toaster pastries warming in the oven. She was laying out her outfit on the bed when she heard the telltale shrill of the wall phone. Pulling her sky blue robe more tightly around her figure (her living room had plate glass windows, after all), she traipsed into the room and picked it up on the third ring.

"Hello?" Even she was surprised at how awake she sounded.

"WHO'S READY FOR PRE-SHOPPING BREAKFAST?"

"Oh…Mai…" Serenity couldn't repress her frustration. This. Was. Not. The. Time. She just had to let Mai know that without making her suspicious. "I'm not even dressed yet. Not now, Mai…"

"Why not now?" Mai's tone sounded disappointed.

"Cause…I've got to go to work!" '_Brilliant_! This is either ironclad…or she'll see right through it. Improvise!' "I've been picking up some extra shifts. Don't worry though; I'll still be back in time for the shopping."

"Okay…sure. She sounded skeptical, but didn't push it any farther. See you at 1, then." Serenity nearly shouted as she hung up the phone. Doing a happy dance into her bedroom, she looked at the outfit lying out on her bed. A fun yellow sundress lay on the bed, of a comfortable soft material emblazoned with sunflowers. The cut was flattering, but ever conscious of modesty, Serenity opted for a light fuzzy cardigan to wear over it. After a quick (okay, not so quick) search through her closet, she found brown-colored cute wedge sandals that complemented her outfit perfectly. Twirling before the mirror, she nearly fainted for the second time that morning. She had neglected her hair! Sure, she had washed it, but had let it dry naturally, and it was waving gently. It looked rather nice, she supposed- just strange. Most mornings Serenity slaved away over the hairdryer, taming her hair into submission. She was so preoccupied this morning that she just forgot.

'Now…' she thought, looking around the room, 'where was I?'

Makeup and accessories was this girl's best friend, and Serenity used just enough to enhance, but not overpower. Mascara, check. Perfume? She smelled like soap already from the shower. If she used any, it would just clash horribly. Earrings? Cute dangly pearl things which accented the shape of her face.

Realizing that she was having a conversation with herself made Serenity laugh out loud. What, did she think that she would have to do a romantic scene with some hot male actor? She couldn't remember a time where she had spent this much time getting ready. 'You're just preparing yourself for the wedding,' she reasoned, moving back to her bed to pack her purse.

Serenity, like a typical woman, could survive for at least a week simply from the contents of her purse, a brown leather bag which didn't look bad with her outfit. She threw her wallet inside along with a package of saltine crackers and a pair of sunglasses. A tube of lip gloss went in as well. She checked her watch. 9AM, meaning she had plenty of time. _C__l__assic_. Munching on the toaster pastries (she had drawn MKE in icing on them), she decided that that wasn't nearly enough food to get her through _this_ day. It was going to be interesting, hectic, a complete potential disaster, and reeeeally long.

Not much later she traipsed out of her building and started walking. Serenity found herself in the same outdoor café she had gone to scarcely the day before. She congratulated herself for (unconsciously) coming here, and promptly ordered tea and a muffin. There was hardly a cloud in the sky. She noticed a stray newspaper on the table she was using. 'The Domino Enquirer…' She took it in her hands and looked at the front page article.

'MKE Entertainment Label to launch new movie…' Folding the page over in disgust, she turned to the next page to try to escape the hold that MKE now seemed to be having over her. On this page was an article about the revenue jump of the Kaibaland theme park nearby. 'Who writes this stuff?' she wondered, glossing over the text and pictures, one of the theme park and another of Seto Kaiba himself. Looking at his confident expression, Serenity recalled the conversation her friends had about him. And this article was boring… Realizing she was reading the business page, she groaned and flipped through the pages until she got to the style section. There. That should keep her occupied.

It did take time, but eventually Serenity became bored both with the newspaper and with her food. It was about time for her to be walking to the studio, anyway. Hopefully arriving early would make a good first impression. Throwing out her muffin wrapper and drink container, she ambled down the street to the studio, feeling a slight sensation of déjà vu, but shook it off as nerves and anxiety.

Walking into the studio, Serenity noticed a completely different atmosphere than what she had experienced only a day before. Yesterday, everyone was cool, calm, and focused. In the lobby today, half of the people were in tears, and the other half were nervously pacing around, waiting their turn. Serenity was startled at the overwhelmingly female population in the room. Had the role of the male lead already been chosen? Serenity blushed slightly; she couldn't help hoping it was someone famous. A cute young movie star…it wouldn't even be acting for her to crush on someone like that. She looked at the large wall clock hanging above the receptionist's table. 10:25… She settled into a comfy chair to gaze around and possibly daydream about movie stars.

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At about the same time that Serenity was getting ready in her apartment, a small cluster of people were preparing themselves for another ordeal.

"All right team, look around," Mokuba's voice resounded as he himself gazed at the people sitting in a circle, with him at the head. "These are the people that will be responsible for every aspect of the movie. Sound, lighting, production, you name it, we've got the best of the best right here. And I've taken over the job of directing this film, so we're all going to get along fine. " Looking around the table, a look of momentary confusion flashed across his normally calm features. Whispers wove their way around his words. "I hope that we can be like a family while we work on this movie. With that all out of the way…where in the hell is Kako?"

As if on cue, they heard a tremendous crash, and the door to the conference room was thrown open. Mokuba was almost afraid to turn around to see who was interrupting their 'secret' meeting. An angry feminine voice was heard over the sound of falling objects. "I heard that! Actually, they all could hear that! Go do your work; get out of my way, there's nothing to see here! Or hear here…" The voice giggled and Mokuba's face paled. 'Good grief…'

"I'm not in hell, Mokuba, I'm right here!" A figure appeared in the doorway with a triumphant pose. "It just took me this long to find where your cabal was meeting! Gosh, you could have some light in here, you know. Must keep up appearances, I guess." She closed the door securely behind her.

"Team, this is Kakomi Tsuki, or simply Kako, our screenwriter and the one who first pitched this idea to me," Mokuba said, waving his hand dully in her direction. Eyeing the group warily, he noticed that most of them were taking this in stride, smiling or at least looking interested. Mokuba quickly pulled up another chair for Kako to sit in, and she joined him at the head of the circle.

By the light of the pendant chandelier, Kako's shoulder-length blond curls shone. She was wearing a navy business suit with pants and a jacket, but a bright blue tie-dyed t-shirt was visible underneath.

"Now, let's get started! We'll meet up in soundstage A to continue the open auditions." Mokuba stifled a yawn. 'They've been going on for 3 hours and we still haven't found anyone with enough charisma to take the lead role!' People began to move their chairs, lingering to chat or running to the kitchen down the hall to gorge on coffee and donuts. "Kako, I want you to stay for a moment."

She paused in mid-leap, almost crashing into her chair again. "But Mokuba, all the good donuts will be taken…"

"I need to ask you a serious question," Mokuba looked over his shoulder to make sure that no one else was within earshot. Kako rolled her eyes. "The edited screenplay you sent me is very good…but why does it cut off right at the dinner? Is this a typo or…" Just one glance at Kako's guilty face confirmed his suspicions. "Kako, it's called an _edited_ screenplay for a reason! That means it should be finished!" He glowered at her.

"I'm sorry! I just, just… argh, why is it so hard to figure out the ending!" Kako jumped out of her chair, looking distraught. "I just love all of my characters; I don't want to see anyone get hurt!"

"Kako, they're not real! The actors will be _acting_- feelings don't matter!" Mokuba was a fraction of an inch away from shaking her. "By the time we cast and start filming, I want a finished screenplay. Edited, finished, screenplay. WITH AN ENDING!"

"Yikes!" Kako's face burned, the color of strawberries. "Right away!" She bowed her head gently and dashed out. Mokuba could hear her voice over everything yelling, "No one touches my donuts!"

Mokuba stayed in his seat a moment longer, his head in his hands. "She's never going to finish that thing, is she…" He glanced at the wall clock; he still had time. He ambled down the hall; maybe he would chat with Reiko about the auditions, or see if she had any mail for him.

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"Hi, my name is Serenity Wheeler, and I'm here for an eleven o'clock audition?" Serenity smiled timidly at Reiko.

"Oh yes, I remember you from yesterday," Reiko smiled at the girl again. "Please, take this ticket with you as you go." Reiko handed her a piece of paper from a large expand-a-file on the desk. Serenity saw it was a copy of her application form. "Now go on with that man in the suit- he'll show you to the studio—good luck!" Reiko waved as Serenity departed, her mouth set in a worried frown. Another girl was right behind her, asking for her form, an 11:05 time slot.

Serenity smiled at the man who beckoned her forward; he looked serious and intimidating. "Follow me miss," he motioned as they entered that precious hallway and waited for an elevator. Serenity gawked as she saw her reflection in mirrored brass everywhere. Rounded surfaces, like trim, made her image distorted, but on others, it went on forever. Walls, ceiling…everything shone, as if it were well taken care of…either that or brand new, she couldn't tell which.

A light chime woke Serenity out of her reveries. The doors of the closest elevator opened, and Serenity stepped in, afraid to blink, in that it would all disappear.

The elevator ride was over almost too fast. Serenity kept her gaze out of the clear glass walls, looking over the atrium with awe and happiness mingling all over her face. She heard a chuckle coming from the mysterious guard. She turned, cocking an eyebrow, as if to ask, 'What's so funny?'

"Only a few girls have acted like that," he explained. "Most simply turn their back on it, trying to look sophisticated, I guess." He scratched his head thoughtfully. "It's my favorite part of the building."

Serenity nodded, agreeing with this man. She pulled away reluctantly from the glass walls of the elevator, wincing when she saw handprint marks as well as one from her forehead pressing up against the glass. The elevator chimed once more, and the doors opened. Serenity could have sworn she was on the Tower of Terror ride, with the way her stomach was dancing. The man got out before her; she heard voices. Leaving the elevator, she stepped into a gold-carpeted hallway. Her guard was talking to another man, dressed in exactly the same cut and color of suit. She giggled. He was distracted…maybe she could look around…

The carpeting went well with midnight blue paint that looked textured somehow. Running her fingers along it, she supposed someone had dry-brushed the pattern onto the wall after painting the color on, a technique that would take a lot of time and patience. She ambled until she was at the end of the short hallway. Left or right? She turned in both directions, but what she saw on her left made her heart race in her chest. She took off running (screw her sandals!), ignoring the cries of her guard. "Miss! Miss, uh…Wheeler! You can't go off into the building unaccompanied!" And almost as an aside, "I don't want to get fired…"

Serenity was out of breath when she arrived at the wall, staring through moist eyes at the beautiful painting before her. _A bold, modern yellow sunflower on a blue backdrop_. Her messy signature was there, scrawled in the bottom right corner, almost blending into the sky. It was here…how could they have bought her painting?

She had to admit, it looked beautiful against the blue color of the walls. It seemed almost as if she had painted it only to be hung in this hallway. She heard the guard's yells. What, did he think she was sneaking away? Her face flushed; it was embarrassing, but it did look like that.

"Serenity," the guard panted, "Wheeler," he looked down at the ticket, double-checking her name, "What did you do that for?" He looked a little confused as to her state, with eyes about to overflow, and flushed cheeks. Was she sick?

"Serenity Wheeler?" A new voice entered the mix. "Wheeler, as in Joey Wheeler?" They both turned to see a raven-headed young man staring at her with his violet eyes interestedly. He was wearing a navy blazer over a vintage t-shirt and jeans. He looked hot. And familiar. Serenity had a flashback to the other day, at Maggiano's.

"Mokuba…Kaiba?"Her eyes widened. What was he doing here? Unless…Mokuba Kaiba. _Entertainment_. _MKE_. Serenity let out a groan and, barely missing her painting, smacked her head quite forcefully against the painted wall.

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Seto Kaiba exited his limo and immediately wanted to dive back into it. What sort of statement was his brother making with this? It was an outlandish waste of money. Keeping his trademark scowl firmly in place, he strode quickly into his brother's studio, afraid that if he didn't he would change his mind.

It was worse inside. Did his brother pay people to just lounge around in this atrium? There was an overwhelmingly female presence in the room, and with the violent violet wall color, Seto felt like his brother's eyes were continuously on him. He passed the receptionist's desk without even nodding or any sign of recognition. Reiko made a small gasp, her mouth forming a silent O shape as he walked past, smirking. He walked into the glass elevators and pressed the button for the top floor. Reiko pressed a button on the desk phone and called her boss, letting him know that Seto had arrived.

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"So you're his sister?"

Serenity nodded, smiling at Mokuba's incredulous expression. "Why don't I remember you? I certainly remember your brother; he was always yelling at Seto in—"

"High school," Serenity chimed in. "Well, it's been awhile since then, and I've gotten a few degrees myself. Masters in Art and a bachelor's degree in Studio art and Economics." Her voice rang out proudly. 'And the student loans to prove it,' the voice in the back of her head added.

"Wow," Mokuba said, obviously impressed. "So you can draw?"

"I painted that," Serenity responded, shaking her head towards the sunflower on the wall. "It was my favorite piece, but I had to sell it to pay for my apartment. It made a ridiculous amount of money…" She let her voice trail off, staring at him wide-eyed. "You bought it!"

By now, Serenity's guard was staring at the both of them, an obviously-I'm-not-needed-here look on his face. He inched away towards the elevators. This was too much drama, even for him. Especially for him.

"I bought it from a coffeehouse not far from here," Mokuba replied. "It was pretty and went perfectly with this floor." Serenity agreed with him there. Mokuba paused to admire the painting. "You do really nice work," he admitted.

"Thank you," she replied, somewhat mollified. Her head still hurt from when she had pounded it into the wall in frustration. Suddenly, she noticed how Mokuba was staring at her. It was as if a light bulb had just gone off over his head. He reached for her arm and proceeded to drag her down the hall, past the painting, and ignoring her cries of protest. This was almost too perfect.

After feeling like a rat properly trapped in a maze, Serenity found herself in a large and open room. The walls were harsh gray cement, but colorful wooden backdrops stood poised everywhere. Speakers, stands, and audio equipment was placed everywhere. Serenity turned to her new friend, biting down a smile. 'Mokuba must really love Apple. This place is an electronics Mecca!'

Mokuba led her over to where a young woman was chatting with several people. She looked friendly, with blonde curls and an infectious smile, but Serenity was beginning to sense a very Joey-like vibe from her.

"Serenity, meet Kako, the screenwriter. Kako, meet my friend Serenity," Mokuba made the introductions, stepping back to gauge reactions.

"Nice to meet you," Serenity replied cheerfully, holding out her hand. 'Wow! The screenwriter! And she's so young…what's the screenwriter do, anyways?'

"Any friend of Mokuba's is a friend of mine," Kako replied, just as enthusiastically. 'I need donuts, I need donuts…'

"Now, Kako, if you will," Mokuba announced regally, slowly enunciating every syllable so as not to be misunderstood, "Please read to us the description in the screenplay where you describe the female character of Shizuka."

"Sure, hold on." Kako rummaged on a nearby table for a moment until she found a large purple binder. Flipping it open to the desired page, she read aloud, or more precisely…skimmed aloud.

"College senior Kawai Shizuka… No family in movie except next-door neighbor…She has to look sweet on the outside but passionate…must be cute so guys come to movie…" At this, Kako wrote in a few notes with a ballpoint pen, "come…to…movie. Where was I? Oh, she is a good dancer and in one scene she must paint a landscape of the ocean- for senior thesis on art and emotion." She looked at Mokuba, who was eyeing Serenity wickedly. Serenity took a tiny step back; Mokuba's gaze scared her a little.

"I know you can paint, Serenity," Mokuba's words rang in her head, "But can you act?"

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A/N: I was listening to 'Falling Slowly' from Once (don't own) while writing the screenplay for the movie (in this fic). That song is so pretty! It really put me in the mood to write out a plot within the plot. Yay! I haven't figured out the end yet, though. So anything is possible right now.

I changed the summary, I really like this new one. I'm also thinking about the title, I guess I'll keep it for now. Also, I would like to inform that Kako is in this story because my sister wanted me to give the crazy screenwriter her name! So go search Kako and read her stuff… subliminal message: Batman Begins SxS style… this sentence was added under torture. Just kidding! XD (THAT was for you, Kako! shakes fist)

I would like to take this moment to say THANK YOU to all my great and fabulous readers and reviewers! I can tell that this story has what it takes to become as big as Fire and Ice got- well, before I got lazy and alienated all of my other readers…but yes, if you liked what you read please tell me! Thanks especially to Patriot16, Kako, Sakurelle, Blueshadows2010, and Loved It for your comments! And thank you to Sakurelle, Shinki, and Strangie for adding this story to story alert! (S-name trend hmmm…) A waffle cone filled with ice cream and sprinkles for every one of you!

Sakura Takanouchi


	5. You know you want to

Title: Stranger things have happened

Author: Sakura Takanouchi

Summary: "It's not acting- I really do hate you," she spat. "We have to follow the script," Seto reminded her. "Eventually, your character falls in love with me." He smirked at her shocked expression. "I wonder, will you be acting then?" Setoxwho?

A/N: Why do I even have these? Is it just for symmetry? Like anyone even reads this…

Disclaimer: I don't own YGO (duh), movies that I make fun of in this chapter (say what?), or pop culture references (ha!). Just the plot, and the plot of the movie-within the plot. 

Chapter Five: You know you want to

"I know you can paint, Serenity," Mokuba's words rang in her head, "But can you act?"

Everyone was now looking at Serenity, who was looking more than slightly uncomfortable. "I'm going to try my best," she said, a determined glint in her eye. 

"Well good! Here's a script; we'll find someone to read with you in about 15 minutes." Mokuba turned to Kako, pulling her away from Serenity, who was staring intently at the script.

"Kako, I gave her a script from the scene where the two main characters first meet," Mokuba started. Kako frowned thoughtfully, chewing the end of a pen that she had used to write on the screenplay only moments before. 

"That's a scene with three people in it," she said, removing the pen and tapping it against the paper. "Why did you do that? Are we reading it with her?" 

The slam of a door interrupted their discussion. In strode a very angry Seto Kaiba. His shoes made clacking noises on the floor, echoing through the otherwise silent room, and his navy trench coat billowed behind him, fueled by his dramatic entrance. Kako stopped tapping her pen. Mokuba could have slapped his forehead in frustration. He was supposed to meet Seto in his office, or in the lobby, or…somewhere else! As amusing as it was that Seto looked extremely irritable and grouchy, it did put an aura of fear upon the entire room. 

"Um, team, this is my brother, who will be assisting us with this, uh, endeavor…"

Kako snorted. "He's directing? With you?"

Seto's gaze narrowed on his brother. Violet eyes widened in realization. "You're directing?"

Seto's question hung in the air. Kako looked back and forth between the brothers nervously, and then began to jot down notes on the paper as fast as she could. Mokuba shifted slightly, but he kept eye contact with his older brother. "Yes, I'm directing. After a few meetings with Kako, we decided that bringing in more people would just take away from our interpretation of the script." Once those words left his mouth, it got _really_ uncomfortable. Mokuba remembered their conversation earlier, and how neither would ever admit that they were really backing a 'chick flick'. It was just a movie, nothing more. But both Seto and Mokuba dropped their gaze, looking around at anything other than each other. Mokuba knew that if he looked at anyone, he would burst into laughter. What an impression to give all of his employees.

"It's been a quarter of an hour already; Serenity's had plenty of time with the script." Mokuba turned around, looking for his new friend. Serenity had made a home sitting on Mokuba's director's chair, reading and re-reading the script, a determined smile on her lips. "Serenity! Time's up, let's see what you've got!"

She looked up from the script as if noticing them for the first time. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear drew the attention of Seto Kaiba himself. Azure orbs narrowed as he perused her form, noting at once how unfathomably _girly_ she looked. She looked sweet, he supposed, but it was all so contrived. He had no idea why girls dressed the way they did to make themselves more appealing. Most of the girls he knew from work, or school, were simply clones of each other, hollow and shallow. He couldn't stand it. Seto noted what Mokuba had called her. _Serenity_ indeed. 

Serenity herself had become lost in the script as soon as it was placed in her hands. She couldn't deny that it was good- no, better than that- and the scene that she had been given would be fun to act. At the sound of her name, however, she looked up. Kako and Mokuba were staring at her expectantly, but they were joined by a third person, standing slightly behind them. Tucking a strand of her wavy hair behind her ear, she noticed that he was staring at her. She nearly shuddered under his gaze. It was so piercing, but unnerving- completely different from the way she felt when Mokuba or Kako looked at her. It made her want to go over there and smack him for…what? For looking at her? For thinking? She couldn't even tell what he was thinking. His expression remained unreadable. Just then, the memories came flooding back. She remembered an article she had read earlier. Thousands of times when her brother came to her room, or called her on her cell phone. This man in front of her was Seto Kaiba, Mokuba's older brother. With everything she knew about the pair, she thought them as different as night and day. Mokuba had called out to her, even before he knew who she was- it was instinct for him to be cheerful, noisy, and outgoing. Seto, on the other hand, had barely said anything, and had the audacity to judge her even before he knew anything about her- but she didn't want to get involved. All signs told Serenity to run.

"_Well, I heard that the Kaibas are ruthless at business, doing whatever they can to remain ahead of the pack," Mai said, sipping her water. "I would hate to be involved in any way to them."_

_ "Who's he eating with?" Serenity asked, squeezing a lemon wedge into her water._

_ "Probably his brother," Mai said, shrugging it off. "Heartless bastard if I ever saw one."_

_ "I've never heard anything positive about him," Serenity said as garlic bread sticks and oil were placed on their table for the girls to share. _

_ "That's because you're Joey's sister," Tea stated emphatically, dunking a bread stick into the oil. "Joey will probably never forgive the man for putting him down all through high school."_

She really liked Mokuba- he was charming and witty- the perfect person to represent an entertainment label. His only fault was his brother. Serenity's mind returned to the present and she remembered why she was here. Movie, contest…the script!

"Yes, and I must congratulate you on the script," Serenity said, addressing Kako. The girl nodded in thanks. "I just have a single question, Mokuba. The script you gave me is for three people- who am I going to be reading with?"

Seto, Mokuba, and Kako looked at each other appraisingly. "Kako, can you please hand to me the description of the male lead character please?"

Kako passed Mokubaa sheet of paper- it was typed but covered in scribbles. At Mokuba's look Kako shrugged sheepishly. Mokuba began to read, his voice never wavering despite the numerous additions.

"Cousin to Yugi, the next-door neighbor to Shizuka- that's the character you're reading for," Mokuba began. "Very mysterious- has left college but is going on the trip because Yugi thinks that he works too much, and wants him to get to know more people now that he's moving back into town. He's a fast-track young executive in the corporate world…" Mokuba strained to read the words that Kako had written in the margins, over and under words. "Very strong, both physically, ideally, in convictions, and a…super mega-hottie?" They all looked at Kako inquisitively. Her eyebrows raised in surprise at the sudden attention. 

"What?" She looked around, oblivious. "Of course he HAS to be a super mega-hottie. It's the most delicious flavor of anti-hero." A laugh broke the near-palpable tension.

_This_ was how it could get worse. Mokuba could barely believe what he was witnessing. His brother was laughing? At this? Stranger things had happened, he supposed- that was what this whole filmmaking experience was teaching him. 

Seto's deep, throaty chuckle filled the whole room, as everyone watched, silent, at what would happen next. "That is rich," he said, his laughter subsiding. "You mean to tell me that you wrote this character? You created someone completely one-dimensional. It couldn't be easier- a young executive? All you'd have to do would be to point and grunt." Seto smiled a little at his own joke. He had hired- and fired- employees that fit that description perfectly. 

"If it's so easy, then why don't you do it?"

Now everyone looked, astonished, at Serenity's sudden outburst. Even she looked surprised, color flooding into her cheeks, her eyes locked on Seto's unwavering countenance. "Are you going to back down? Or can you not read? Pointing and grunting more your style?" 

"I never back down from a challenge. It will be a piece of cake." Seto's gaze was unflinching; he looked rather amused at this exchange. This frightened Serenity more than the typical angry Kaiba. "I'll read the lines- nothing more would anyone expect from this character." He snatched the screenplay out of Serenity's hands and strode off to read them. 

"Serenity, what did you do that for?" Mokuba's words shook Serenity back into focus. She smiled reassuringly. 

"He was insulting your work," she replied. "I wasn't going to let that slide." Kako looked up, surprised. They all stared, motionless, for a moment until Serenity broke the silence. "Besides, he was kind of insulting himself with that comment." With a grin, she took a second copy of the script from Kako and moseyed over to the stage, set up as a typical student's apartment. In fact, it looked not unlike her own living room- just without the large windows. She studied it, picking up empty photo frames and a potted plant on the end table.

Kako now looked at Mokuba, cocking one eyebrow. "What?" He replied irritably. 

"What's eating you? I thought this all went rather well," she preened, probably from Serenity's last comment. Mokuba shrugged. 

"Just, that whenever Seto comes into contact with my work, I feel like he's always judging it, and putting me down for not staying with KaibaCorp. He doesn't realize that I just couldn't do that. We're two different people…"

Kako sympathetically put an arm on his shoulder. "The way I see it, you both have devoted your lives to companies that all make people happy. Your products enrich people's lives and that is such a positive thing. You obviously love what you're doing so much. How could you ever be unhappy?"

"Wow…I never really thought of it like that," Mokuba smiled softly. "Thanks." 'Wow…that pearl of wisdom just came from Kako? Maybe I should keep her around as a shield against my brother…'

"There's one more thing," she said, withdrawing her hand and looking at him smugly. "In exchange for my fabulous advice, you must act the third character." She shoved yet another script into his hands. "You obviously know the lines already, and you're a guy! So you win, and I'll be the judge! Now go! Skedaddle!" She pushed Mokuba over to where Serenity was lounging on a futon, this one covered in a forest green cloth. 

"I guess I'm acting the character of Yugi Moto," Mokuba said, stretching out on the futon next to Serenity. She smiled brightly. 

"This is great; I have a friend to play my friend." She flipped over pages of the script as she spoke. "And an ally. Let's hunt us some Kaiba."

"Hey, I'm neutral- I'm Switzerland!" Mokuba replied defensively. "My character is Seto's cousin here, so I can't abandon him." 'I hate being caught in the middle like this…' He rubbed his temples gently; he could feel a headache creeping up on him. Lost in conversation, the two barely noticed Seto's presence until he was right behind their futon. 

"Are you ready to do this?"

Serenity craned her neck up to look at Seto's determined smirk. He looked so confident: was he as great an actor as he was with everything else? She had to admit, she was itching to start, too. She wanted to prove herself to Mokuba and Kako, to not let them down. "We were waiting for you."

Seto looked surprised at her retort, but it barely registered other than a slight twitch in the eyebrows. "Getting into character already? That's good; you'll need it." Serenity frowned; why was he goading her like this? It wasn't nice. He sauntered over towards the bookshelf against another partition; gazing at the assortment of college textbooks and accessories on its shelves. Mokuba sighed, "Let's start this- Kako, don't interrupt us until we're done- no matter what." The last bit was said almost as an aside, but still, he felt like this was going to be rough. 

"Sure thing," Kako replied. "But can you please use your own names for this run-through? I don't want to get distracted." She moved to Mokuba's director's chair and perched on it, waiting expectantly. "Makes it easier for yourselves as well as me."

Serenity stood up from the futon and stretched, relaxing every muscle in her body. Seto eyed her strangely- she was reminding him of a cat. Seto Kaiba hated cats. All they ever did was get fur everywhere and then sleep. Trying to act cute when they were really a nuisance. Yes, he decided, Serenity is actually a cat, trapped in a woman's body. Serenity would even be a name someone would give to a cat. 

"Come back to us," Mokuba laughed at his brother. Seto blinked a few times, returning his focus to the conversation at hand. He needed to clear his mind. That girl even managed to annoy him in his thoughts!

"Aaaand…action! Or whatever…" Kako shrugged, twirling a lock of hair between two fingers. She had a clipboard by her side, ready to write down her reactions from their performance. A slight smile escaped as she watched lights focus and people bustling around stop in respect. All of her attention was centered on the stage. Mokuba looked so eager, while a silently studious look graced the elder Kaiba. 

"Come on, Seto!" Mokuba chided his 'cousin', dragging him along behind him as if entering the apartment for the first time. "If you're going to be my guest, can't you at least pretend to be interested in meeting my friends?" Mokuba turned around to glare at Seto. "Serenity's nice, so please, for once just _don't_ be yourself?"

_And here I thought I was just going to be reading lines. Guess that's out._ "Why are you in such a hurry?"Seto asked, freeing his arm from Mokuba's grasp and crossed his arms petulantly. "You're just next door. There's no need to rush at all. Besides, you invited yourself over."

"Us. Over." Mokuba scanned the room, a hopeful smile extending over his face. "Serenity? We're here!"

"I'm in the kitchen!" Serenity called from a hallway built off of the room. It served as a conduit to several other stages, sets of other rooms in her apartment, she supposed. She bit her lip to hide a smile at Seto's words. He said he was just going to read the lines. This would be interesting if they were all going to get into it. Serenity set her face, and then turned, gliding smoothly into the room. This was her room, after all. 

"Mokuba, I'm glad you called! It's been a while since I've seen you. Why don't you…" Serenity froze for a moment upon seeing the man next to her friend. "Oh! So that's why you said 'we're'. Let me grab another soda. Make yourselves comfortable!" She placed two coca-colas on the coffee table centering the room, and then disappeared back through the hallway, where a mini-fridge labeled 'props' was waiting for her. She extracted another cola and headed back into the room, smiling at the sight before her. 

Mokuba was lounging on the futon, a contented smile on his face as he guzzled the can of soda. Seto had taken a chair next to it, and was toying with the already opened can. Seto frowned as he read the ingredients list. _This stuff is liquid sugar…do I really have to drink this? _He took a small sip, quickly putting the can down. It would be too tempting to finish the whole thing. He couldn't. That was way too much sugar, and with those bubbles…it was much safer to just not drink anymore of it.

Mokuba finally put down the can with a contented sigh. "Oh! Serenity, I would like you to meet my cousin, Seto." Serenity strode over from the side of the room and stopped at the seating area. Seto stood up to greet her. "Nice to meet you," she said pleasantly, holding out her hand. 'Ooh, a gentleman…'

His handshake was strong, and his hand felt cool to the touch. Deep blue eyes locked on to hers as he returned, "You as well…" His voice was surprisingly strong and deep. Serenity almost froze, looking at him. That handshake seemed too forward- Serenity couldn't quite figure it out. Seto was the first to retake his seat. Serenity joined Mokuba on the futon, still puzzling over the handshake. She figured he probably was introduced to thousands of people; it must be reflexive by now. But this position put her closest to him. This was slightly awkward, but nothing she couldn't handle. 

"So Mokuba," Serenity began, "How come I haven't met your cousin before? Has he never visited?"

"He just got a job transfer back to Domino," Mokuba explained. "He's spearheading the new branch of Industrial Illusions." Serenity raised an eyebrow. _That_ wasn't in her script, but hey, she'd roll with it. 

"Impressive." She opened her soda, enjoying the hiss as the carbonation was exposed. She savored a sip of the soda, an indulgence hardly ever satisfied. "I hope that goes well for you."

"It will." Seto lowered his soda to match her eyes with his serious gaze. This soda was too affecting. He should have let that remark get away, but for some reason, he had to counter. What was he supposed to say to that? 'I hope so too?' How lame. He didn't care if he was acting, but Seto Kaiba didn't _hope_ for things. He set goals and made them. Whatever it took, he would see things through to the end. Mokuba did a stupid thing, putting us on this tangent. He would have to fix it. 

"Confidence will only get you so far," Serenity said, sipping the soda again. This was anything but diet. Screw her own diet, she needed the real thing. Mokuba looked at Serenity, worry etched into his face. She could almost hear the message his body was sending. _This is not the time to argue. Wait until the script tells you to argue. I am refusing to run interference for you. Again. _

Seto smirked, obviously liking the direction that this was going in. This was the threshold where his employees and rivals only dared to cross. Who contradicted Seto Kaiba? That was rhetorical, of course. _Nobody_ did. And lived to tell about it that is. 

"But you do agree that it is a necessary trait for success in any endeavor," Seto said, putting that damn soda down as he stood up from his chair. Best to stay out of arm's reach of that can- it was only half empty. 'Black coffee from now on,' his brain reminded him. 'This whole experience is a testament to that." From this position he towered over her, his superiority in their argument now showing a physical manifestation. 

"Confidence in moderation is." Serenity said, enjoying their banter. Intelligent conversation was one of the things she missed most about leaving college, and it felt refreshing to talk to someone who wasn't either going along with everything that she said or forcefully trying to convert her to their way of thinking. This was a simple and harmless exchange of ideas, and with someone whom she probably was never going to see again. She got the feeling that Seto didn't like to come to this building. 

She stood, matching his level, although she was much shorter. "Too much confidence begins to resemble… arrogance," she drew out the last word, putting emphasis on it. This was not lost to him. 

"Are you calling me arrogant…Serenity?" He nearly whispered, his voice dangerously low yet with considerable intensity. Normally he ignored it, but to be indirectly insulted by this mere girl that he had only met was intolerable. If she didn't back off, he was going to make her. 

"Now what makes you think that…Seto?" She replied, just as low. Her voice retained its sweetness, however soft her voice had become. Mokuba's sharp breath was audible to both of them; he knew she was using his name only to antagonize him but still…that took some nerve. Serenity's eyes twinkled merrily as they met his frigid blue ones. 

Seto couldn't believe it. She was enjoying this. Most people were petrified to just talk to him and here she was, insulting him and with his own name! Only Mokuba ever dared to do that, and then he always ran off here, to his studio. He could see her breathing, her shoulders rising and falling, and her 

hair brushing against the sides of his arms. It was at that moment when he realized how close they were. 

Warning bells were going off like fireworks in his brain. When did they get that close? Had they always been that close? And why the hell hadn't Mokuba said anything? This was ridiculous. He nearly shoved her away before he realized that they were in character. Acting. Pretending. With people watching. He was blocked in. Wasn't it time for her to leave the scene already?

"Not many people would challenge me like that," he began again, the words slipping coolly from his mouth. "Why would you?"

"Simple," she replied, seemingly forgetting all about their debate earlier. "I believe that you should never back down from your beliefs. If I think arrogance is a vice, I'll say so." She turned to leave, and without thinking, Seto grabbed her arm, firmly preventing her escape. Serenity spun around to face him, real surprise evident on her face. "What are you—"

"You're doing it again." Serenity looked up, surprised. Seto looked down at her, almost as confused. Where had that come from? Seto's mouth never wavered, but as she looked at him, she thought she could detect a shimmer in his eyes. 'He's smiling with his eyes…' One of her other beliefs, held so strongly, was that true smiles could only be seen with the eyes. Anyone (well, maybe he was the exception) could put a smile on their face, but you couldn't fake an eye-smile. It was like an open window into the soul. And Serenity had just seen his. 

At once she dropped her gaze- her eyes were at about the height of his shoulders. Suddenly the room felt a whole lot smaller. And she needed to get Seto's hand away from her elbow. "Excuse me; I'll take these cans back to the kitchen." Her voice sounded weak, even to her own ears. She grabbed Seto's soda can with her free hand, and gently eased away from Seto's grasp. He let her go and she left, taking all three cans in one trip. They went on top of the mini-fridge. Serenity heaved a sigh of relief. She was done. With the speaking part, anyways. She moved towards the room, stopping only when she could hear their voices. 

"Well, thanks for including me in your conversation," Mokuba huffed. Now that they had completely, well not so… they had still deviated, and now he had to steer it back to port. He had half a mind to smack his brother. He grinned at him instead. "So…? What did you think about her, Seto? I have cute friends, right?"

"Cute? Maybe by your standards, but thank goodness mine aren't set that low."

"Ouch, Seto. Anything else you'd like to add?"

"You lied to me."

Mokuba recoiled in mock disgust. _Thank goodness, he's back to the script!_

"You told me she was nice."

Mokuba frowned. "Well, she is nice. To me, anyways. Maybe it was something you said—"

Seto sank back into the chair, glaring coldly at Mokuba. "I didn't say anything!" he hissed. "She was the one snapping back at everything that I said! And all because of her stupid ideals…" _Stupid cat-woman…I pity the person who is cast opposite her…_

Seto gave his brother a highly disdainful look. "And you've been her friend for how long? You live next door to her and go visiting her apartment, which looks like a goodwill store…" Mokuba looked horrified. Seto looked really angry. Was he acting? Did he really not like her that much? Was he even aware of what he was saying?

They couldn't see, and couldn't know, but Serenity stayed hidden in the hallway, but still was able to hear their voices. At Seto's words, a hand flew up to her mouth to shield her gasp. Undisguised shock was clear on her face. He was taking this too far. Was any of this even on the script? She had been nothing but agreeable to him, and he acts like this? She wanted to kick the wall in anger, but she restrained herself, silently seething. 

Seto slammed a fist on the arm of his chair, making a slight thudding noise. "You've introduced me to your friend now. That's all we agreed on. I even talked to her, which was more than she deserved. Can we go now?"

"But Seto," Mokuba whined. "I haven't had the chance to—"

"I don't care. I want to leave."

Wordlessly, Seto got up and strode to the 'door', a simple painted oak construction built into the partition. At least he had the decency to shut it behind him, not slam it. Mokuba sighed. "Serenity? I've got to get back to my apartment for a second. I'll talk to you later about the trip plans, ok? See you!" Mokuba made his way to the door, following Seto's path. Maybe that was a little too cheery. Oh well, it couldn't be helped. What was said was said. 

Serenity's breath caught in her throat. Seto had sounded so…angry at her. Even though she knew it was just lines (although not all of them were really from the script), everything that he had said hurt her. It hurt when he said she wasn't cute, when he said she wasn't nice, when he insulted her apartment, and most of all, when he left. She had spent a lot of time on her appearance today, and for it all to mean nothing to him…it wasn't exactly a boost in the self-esteem department. And Serenity thought that she was a nice person! She was…right? And even though it wasn't her apartment per se, it certainly felt like hers. And she had never shown anyone her apartment, for fear of exactly this thing happening. And when he left…he didn't slam the door. So was he angry or not? If he was angry, he wouldn't have cared whether she knew that he was leaving or not. But he didn't slam the door… 

Mostly Serenity was just frustrated with herself. Why did she care so much? Why did all of this have such a great affect on her? She shouldn't let it get to her, but it was. She just couldn't help it. 

Serenity slowly sank down the wall she was leaning against. It didn't matter now whether she was acting or not. It hurt. She wasn't even sure what was in the script or not. Did he leave on his own accord? Was that how he felt? This wasn't fair. And no matter how he felt, Serenity wasn't sure which she hated worst: his scorn or his indifference. She stared at a blank space on the wall in front of her; this feeling made her want to curl up on her bed and cry. But she wasn't sure if Shizuka would cry. So she just stared bitterly at the wall. She couldn't help the lone tear that streaked down her right cheek- the one that faced the stage. 

Everything was silent- Kako remained poised on the director's chair, enraptured, her pen in hand hovering over the clipboard. She began to clap, at first slowly, then building. The noise was joined by others in the room, tech support guys, camera people; everyone had stopped to watch the performance. And they were all applauding the trio. Serenity hastily wiped her cheek; it wouldn't do for Mokuba or his brother to see how their words had affected her. She stood up, moving towards Kako. She tried not to, but couldn't help looking as the door swung open. Mokuba entered first, smiling brilliantly, soaking up all the attention. He was followed by Seto, his head barely clearing the frame of the door, his countenance unreadable. 

Mokuba bounded easily across the stage to Serenity. "You did an amazing job," he congratulated. "Considering what we had to work with…" he jabbed a thumb in Seto's direction. Serenity put on a small smile. She was still shaken up and she didn't want Mokuba asking any unnecessary questions. Mokuba sailed away to talk to Kako. She was still scribbling away on her clipboard. 

Serenity didn't want to be the one to speak first. Let it be awkward, she didn't care. She had done her part, now it was Mokuba's turn to decide what would happen next. 

"Why did you challenge me, to do this?" he asked, fixing his eyes on her again. 

That stare. Did he know how to do anything else other than stare at people? It was as if someone was pointing a laser at her, as uncomfortable as it made Serenity feel. She, however, would never give him the satisfaction of knowing that. "You did it, congratulations, now you're expecting something from me?" Her voice was laced with disdain. 

"Tell me." It was an order, not a suggestion. An answer was already forming in her mind. 

"Because I knew that it would be easy," she answered, a confident smile lighting up her face. 

"Why?" They were nearly as close as they were on the set, where if she reached out, she could touch him. Not like she would, but she could… She looked up, meeting his gaze. His eyes were serious and searching, trying to decipher if there was even a shred of truth to anything she was saying. 

"Because I don't like you."

She had just blurted it out. It was what she had been thinking the whole time, so why not get it out there? She stared blankly as Seto's eyebrows disappeared under a forest of brown locks and then his 

mouth twitched into the familiar Kaiba smirk. He didn't seem fazed at all. She wouldn't have been surprised if he started laughing at her. What was the deal?

"Half of Domino doesn't like me. You don't even know me and you don't like me."

Why was he so calm? It was infuriating, making her all the angrier at him. She glared at him; he just continued to look at her, amused. "In this script, we argue. It's a lot easier arguing with someone you don't like. It makes things much simpler; half of the time I wasn't even acting."

"How do you know that I wasn't either?"

He just let the question hang, suspended in the air. Serenity frowned at his smirking face. What sort of game was he playing? "Of course I know. You can't act."

"Neither can you, from what I just heard."

Serenity was fuming. "I'm not even talking to you right now. You make me so mad- I can't even think straight." She stomped off towards the snack table set up in the back. She needed to vent her anger with something sweet. 

Mokuba had cornered Kako in his director's chair. "Give me that clipboard."

"No," Kako replied childishly. "It has comments about your own performance on it."

"And I care because…?"

"Just be glad you're the director." Kako thrust the board into his outstretched hands. She waited for him to read.

"WHAT!?" Mokuba switched his gaze from the board to Kako to the board again. "What do you mean I can't act?"

"Exactly that," Kako preened. "You got them started on that whole tangent, and you didn't even try to act like Yugi Moto's character. He's sweet and innocent and trusts other people's judgment entirely. If Seto says these things, Yugi would feel terribly confused. Thank goodness you weren't auditioning. You made a complete mess of the scene." Mokuba continued to read down the sheet, occasionally reading the comments aloud. 

"You think she hates him? I doubt that- Serenity seems like the nicest person." Mokuba turned around to look for her- he saw Serenity shaking her hands with rage at Kaiba, and then stomping off, obviously upset. "Guess I got that wrong. It must be his fault, though." They both watched the pair silently. Serenity was holding a plate and covering it with grapes and brownies. Seto was watching her, a satisfied smirk on his face. 

"Definitely his fault," Mokuba concluded, suddenly catching on to Kako's wide grin. Realization flashed across his features- the only think lacking was a light bulb over his head. "You think?"

"They definitely have chemistry. The beginning scenes will be perfect for them. I can tell that they're both desperate to really have a go at each other. Take Serenity, for example. She looks furious."

"Yeah, but what about what happens after the beginning scenes? Do you think that they can handle it?"

Kako looked at Mokuba's worried expression and smiled. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, I couldn't see anyone else in those two spots. Besides, we've casted everyone else already. And the auditions this morning were pathetic. Even if we looked at everyone, I doubt we can find anyone that could bring the spark we need to this film. I can feel it- we need them in these spots."

Mokuba nodded. Kako was making sense- now all they had to do was convince them both to join the cast…and sign the contract. With Serenity, it wouldn't be a problem. She wanted this; it was why she was here. Seto, on the other hand, would rather lose a duel than get put into this situation. Kako had a gleam in her eye to match his own. Mokuba knew that she was right. They were the perfect duo for this movie. It couldn't be anyone else. Mokuba threw a sideways glance at Kako. They both sighed in union. Now if only _they_ knew that. 

A/N: Here we are for grand old chapter 5! It only took this many chapters to set up the plot! Hooray! Now let's wait patiently to see if they can force our heroes to act in this movie. On another note: Wow, the lengths of these chapters are growing exponentially. This one, in particular…wow. Quite possibly the longest thing I've ever written for a chapter. On a harmonic third above this note, another note: I am thankful for all my lovely readers and reviewers. This story has over 500 hits now (in just four chapters, I'm overjoyed). If you like what I've got so far, I'd love to hear from you! Constructive criticism always appreciated, I want this story to be the best that it can be! Or if you have any ideas for torture methods to get Seto to sign the contract…muahahaha! Hope everyone had/is having/will have a fabulous spring break time! Yay for holidays!

I wrote this on St. Patrick's Day…so Happy Green-wearing day to all!

Sakura Takanouchi


	6. Honest as Loaded Dice

Title: Stranger things have happened

Author: Sakura Takanouchi

Summary: "It's not acting- I really do hate you," she spat. "We have to follow the script," Seto reminded her. "Eventually, your character falls in love with me." He smirked at her shocked expression. "I wonder, will you be acting then?" Setoxwho?

A/N: THANKS to everyone who is supporting this, whether by reviewing, story alerting, or simply reading and enjoying, I am so grateful to all. I shall immortalize you all in an epic poem…hey, where'd you all go?

Disclaimer: They tried, but I just couldn't accept ownership of YGO. I only own my incandescently brilliant plot, and the plot of the equally scintillating movie-within the plot.

Chapter Six: Honest as Loaded Dice

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_Kako had a gleam in her eye to match his own. Mokuba knew that she was right. They were the perfect duo for this movie. It couldn't be anyone else. Mokuba threw a sideways glance at Kako. They both sighed in union. Now if only they knew that._

Mokuba looked at the girl, now stuffing her face with chocolate-chip cookies. "When do you think the best time would be to tell her?"

"Hmmm." Kako pondered this, turning it over slowly in her head. "Why don't I take Serenity, and you take Kaiba, and we see what sort of battle we're up against."

Mokuba struck the classic disgruntled Kaiba pose. "Yeah, you get the easy one."

"How easy will it be once they learn that they both have to act the leads in a romantic comedy movie!" Kako hissed, not wanting to draw anyone's attention. "They will be almost as angry at us as they are at each other!" She caught herself after that, smiling triumphantly. "Mokuba, we are geniuses!"

He quirked an eyebrow. He wasn't so sure this was a 'Eureka' moment, but hey…

"If they're angry at each other, then that can only mean one thing."

"And what would that be, genius?"

"Simple," Kako explained. "They're intrigued. They want to meet each other again, I'm sure of it." Mokuba smiled, catching on quickly.

"We're just helping them along." Watching the pair again, a disastrous thought crossed Mokuba's mind, but for only an instant. 'Either that or we're condemning ourselves…'

Serenity was standing by the refreshment table, eating as if it were going out of style. Each bite she took seemed to calm her down more- after a plateful of food she felt like she could talk to someone without snapping at them. But that man…ugh!

Everything that she had heard about him had been true. He was stubborn, and mean, and arrogant to the point of conceited. He took offense at the smallest of things…although it had been kind of fun to push his buttons during the audition. She was almost glad at Mokuba for going away from the script. 'Probably to see how well I can improvise…'

"Hey, Serenity, how are you doing?" Kako's sudden appearance made Serenity jump, nearly knocking over her plate.

"Oh! I'm fine. Just got lost in my thoughts a little," Serenity brushed cookie crumbs from her face as she spoke, an overly cheery smile on her face.

"That's good." Kako studied her friend, wondering whether it was just nerves or something more. "Can you come with me please? I'd like for us to talk a little bit about the movie." Serenity followed her out of the soundstage and into a small hallway, a different one from where she entered. An unoccupied office was the second door on the right; they entered and Kako shut the door behind them.

Two comfortable looking leather armchairs graced a corner of the room and they moved towards them, sinking into the chairs with contented sighs. The half-finished plate of food rested on a wooden end table close by.

"Serenity." Kako began, slowly, noticing how Serenity was fidgeting with her fingers, her eyes darting around the room. "Mokuba and I have been discussing what we thought about your audition and, I must say, we were very impressed. Even though Mokuba made a complete mess out of that scene—"

'Seto included,' Serenity silently added to the tally,

"—You did a wonderful job with Shizuka's character. She is certainly somebody who stands up for what they believe in, even against someone as scary as Seto Kaiba." Kako's last comment sent chills running up Serenity's spine. 'If I wasn't so sure Kaiba's pride would never let him admit he _acted_, I'm sure I would be in trouble down the road for practically insulting him to his face. Scratch that. I did insult him to his face.'

"We would like to have you meet with the other actors to gauge their opinions of you. We want everyone to work together well."

Serenity nodded. This made sense. "Is everyone here? Have they all been cast already?"

"All of the supporting roles have been cast. The contest was solely to find the two leads in the movie. As of now, we're still searching for one. Mostly girls have signed up for the audition." Kako abruptly rose from her chair. "Come on! Let's go meet people! They're nice, I promise." Serenity giggled, following Kako out of the office and down the rather lengthy hallway. Once there, they ran into Mokuba, who looked suspiciously like he was trying to hide.

"Hey, Mokuba, would you mind taking Serenity up to the multipurpose room; the supporting cast is hanging out in there, ok?" Mokuba looked relieved, and taking Serenity by the hand, proceeded to lead her down another hallway. Kako smiled, having done her good deed for the day, realized that she had to be in the board room for a meeting, and started for the elevators.

They followed the hallway through twists and turns until it dead-ended with a large common room. Serenity knew she was in the corner of the building; uncovered windows let light stream into the room, making it bright and airy. Several people were gathered there, chatting animatedly in the center of the room. Two men and one woman were grouped there, and they stopped talking as Mokuba entered, followed closely by Serenity.

"Hey guys, I want you to meet Serenity. We're considering her for the role of Shizuka." She motioned with her arm for Serenity to step forward. She did, with a tentative smile.

"A pleasure to meet you. My name is Yami Atemu." The first man to speak had a very unusual appearance: tri-color hair in a wild hairstyle, unusual crimson eyes, and was wearing all black, even though it was summer. She accepted his proffered hand and gave it a firm shake. The man seemed to be visibly and tangibly self-aware of his own coolness. He smirked at Serenity, once again radiating confidence. Serenity gave a slight smile. He seemed interesting, someone whom it would take a while to get to know better.

"Meet my friend Isis…" Isis reclined her head in greeting, her strangely scrutinizing gaze making Serenity want to use Yami as a shield. Serenity's smile remained frozen on her face as she tried to inconspicuously figure out the best escape route just in case she needed to make a quick exit. Isis' presence dominated the room; she had a flawless sort of beauty, where everything looked almost too fixed. She wore a flattering sandy-colored dress and wore her long hair down. She pursed her lips, but still remained silent. 'This is awkward…'

"And Serenity—"

He was interrupted by the last man, moving so he stood directly in front of Serenity. His eyes shone with sincerity. "We need no introduction, Yami. Because, fair maiden, you have come straight from my dreams…"

He gently took Serenity's hand and kissed it. "My sweet Serenity, my name is Duke Devlin. I finally get to meet you at last…" She could have sworn she saw a vein pop on Yami's temple, but chalked it up to his hair getting in his face. She blushed despite herself as Duke continued to hold her hand, gently massaging it.

"Can it, drama queen." Yami took Duke's shoulders and none-too-gently shoved him away from her. "She's not _your_ anything." With an elegant toss of his head, Yami smiled apologetically at Serenity. "I'm sorry, I suppose I'm just practicing for my role. I do feel the need to protect you from his ludicrous advances."

"I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, but thank you all the same" Serenity reminded, smiling. She liked them. Dashing Yami, silent Isis, and even chivalrous Duke. For a brief moment she wondered if they all used stage names, but decided against asking. It would be rude.

Yami continued to talk to her and ask her questions. Duke, forgotten, looked sheepishly at Mokuba. "Although it seems pointless to ask, what do you think of her?"

"What don't I think of her?" Duke replied dreamily, a contended smile on his face. After a moment, his tone became much more serious. It was as if he was becoming a different person, his whole demeanor was intense. "This is the first one you've brought to us. Is she the one you've decided on?"

"I wanted all of us to decide that."

Duke surveyed the group. "Yami and I obviously would want nothing else. Isis will not speak of her until she has seen Serenity act- they are supposed to be good friends on screen, right? I have faith in Serenity. She seems made to play this role." He saw _his_ Serenity laugh, probably from some joke that Yami said. He could practically hear his subconscious seething. He winked at Mokuba. "Time to get back into the fight!" He strode over to Serenity, again to confess his undying love for the poor girl.

Mokuba laughed softly at the scene. Yes, Serenity would do perfectly. It was as if everyone had accepted her already…well, everyone except Isis, but then again, she had a superiority complex. He turned to go, frowning at his wrist watch. With all of the excitement, he had nearly forgotten the reason he had called his brother here to begin with. A final meeting between all the members of his team, to decide matters and to sign contracts. This was tedious, why did he have to have everything on the same day? Well, at least the most important thing was decided.

* * *

Seto's words still rang through his ears as Mokuba stepped into the elevator. He had tried to force a brotherly heart-to-heart after Kako and Serenity had left, but Seto had shaken him off with every attempt.

"Mokuba…" Seto started, as his younger brother sidled up to him. "I swear, I am never coming inside this building again." Mokuba tried to read his brother's expression, he was hiding something.

"Seto! Fine, we'll hold our board meetings at KaibaCorp, how about that? All of us creative and eclectic actor-types, wreaking havoc in _your_ office, then." He smiled at the involuntary shudder that shook Seto's frame. "Afraid it'll rub off on you?"

"Mokuba…" Seto's voice was low and dangerous. He eyed his brother curiously. 'Why is he so interested? What's his motive?' Sighing, he decided not to push the issue. What Mokuba failed to draw out was that Seto was _confused_. Someone known for being ruthless, tyrannical, control-freaky, suddenly did not know what to do. Everything felt foreign. It had happened when he had shut the fake door on the soundstage. There was a set of cement stairs behind the door, and he had shut the door softly and reclined on the steps. He wasn't going to slam it; he was more of a gentleman than that. Suddenly, a wave of _something_ hit him. It was as if he had been punched in the stomach while sparring. All at once, he wanted to let out a loud laugh. He did it! He proved that stupid girl wrong, he was able to take that skeleton of a part the noisy screenwriter had made and given a performance he was (as of now) not ashamed of.

Acting? He had to act all of the time. At business meetings, he _acted_ like he was going to listen to the other board members. At the corporate function two weeks ago, he had _acted_ like he enjoyed the event, and he had thought he did a good job of not _acting_ too satisfied when Mokuba told him that tomorrow's lunch was his turn to pick the restaurant. But what had just happened was completely different.

What value was there in a stage introduction? Technically, they hadn't even been introduced, and yet she dared…? He couldn't care less about that little slip of a girl. He couldn't quite tell, or remember the script well enough, whether she didn't like him, or her character had issues with his character. It was excessively complicated, but it made no difference.

Seto's thoughts zoomed to when she had informed him, quite tenaciously, of her dislike for him. Well take a number, girl! You're just one of thousands, an annoying little fly that with just one swat, can be wiped out. He smirked in satisfaction.

Now it had bothered him when she called him arrogant. Why couldn't people get over the way he was painted…in the shadow of his late 'father'. They only saw him as a miniature tyrant, grown up, and now with even sharper horns. People needed to step back to see the big picture. Both KaibaCorp and himself were growing through experience and were doing positive things for Domino, and the gaming industry in general. It seemed impossible. He had stopped trying to waste his time on it long ago. Let them steep in their own stupidity.

These conflicting, contradicting thoughts continued to swirl around him even as he talked to Mokuba. This was the first time that he was able to glimpse the life his brother lead every day, and even though he preferred his own any day, he couldn't help the feeling of escape he got as he had sat on those cheap prop chairs and drank his soda. Other things hadn't mattered. It felt oddly…relaxing.

Mokuba couldn't help noticing Seto was lost in his own thoughts, and decided to excuse himself, leaving his brother in the soundstage. Seto only registered the quieting footsteps of his brother before realizing that he was grasping at straws to figure out how to get to the boardroom. Cursing rather loudly, he exited after his brother and instead ran into that screenwriter. Realizing they were headed for the same place, he thanked his good fortune and silently accompanied her to the board room.

* * *

A stroll through hallways and a quick elevator ride down led Mokuba to the office where his team had met previously. He noticed everyone was there, waiting for him—whether patiently or not-quite-so.

Kako was tapping her pencil lightly on the table and Seto was glaring daggers at him. The rest of his team sat silently, shuffling papers or texting under the giant boardroom table. Mokuba laughed awkwardly, trying to break the tension. "So, team, are we ready to do this?"

He was met with murmurs of assent and the clicking shut of those cell phones. Mokuba took a deep breath, let it out, and launched into the meeting.

"So, we've already gone over most of what needs to happen in the pre-production stage of filming. Yesterday, we booked the spot for location, and most of the other scenes will be filmed right here, in the studio. We decided to outsource our film editing, and we've put on a crew to do that once we finish filming. With that said, we have one major roadblock."

Kako was looking at him inquisitively. Mokuba's piercing look told her to save it, and he continued his speech nervously. "We have casted actors for all of the roles apart from the male lead- the open auditions drew a large, em…female crowd, and most of the men who auditioned had little to no acting experience. We're currently scouting, but…"

"Oh, come on!" Kako found her feet and glared around the table, stopping on Mokuba. "We're probably looking in all of the wrong places! How hard can it be to find a twentysomething, super mega-hot business executive type on such short notice? We're living in Domino, after…all…"

Her voice faded away as the bored looks of their team turned to expressions of intense interest. Kako noticed, however, that they weren't directed at all towards her. Heads turned until two dozen eyes were locked on to the person sitting next to her- the man who fit her description perfectly. She found her chair, scooting it a little way away from him. Seto Kaiba was going to kill her… She didn't resume tapping the pencil, but she figured she could use it as a weapon just in case things got ugly.

It took Seto only moments longer to realize what was happening. Would those people just blink already! He began to viciously stare down everyone at their table who was looking at him as if he was some sort of test subject. Kako's words slowly filtered down through his brain. Everything clicked.

_Oh hell no…_

This was bad. Damn Mokuba for bringing him in here! He glared at his brother, who gave a half-shrug in his direction, trying but failing to hide the determined gleam in his eyes. When did the room ever feel this small? He did not like the direction that this was going in.

"Seto, she has a point. Maybe it's just that, we're looking in the wrong places?"Mokuba's voice spread around the room like molasses. He needed the team on his side. Sweeten the deal a little. "Do 

you have any ideas?" The silence in the room was deafening, and everyone's attention was focused on Seto, watching and waiting, fascinated.

"I know you're talking about me, so you can just drop the act!" Seto glared defiantly at his brother. "I have my own company to run, I couldn't possibly—"

"Take time off in the least busy season of your industry?" Mokuba smiled sweetly. "I've seen the stats, don't use that against me. Its summer and we'll film around your schedule. Just think of how much a movie can improve your image! You yourself said—"

"I offered to help produce, I said nothing about…"

"Sorry, brother, but there you're wrong." Seto's stunned expression merely caused Mokuba's grin to widen. _"I'll help with the movie in any way I can,"_ Mokuba reiterated in his best Seto Kaiba impersonation. Kako stifled a giggle, this was perfect! Seto looked like he barely believed what was going on. "I have it in writing; you can't deny that you didn't say it. Any way you can. Well, I'm calling it in. We don't want your money, our budget's solid. Hell, we can even screw the bet—"

"What bet?" Kako asked. The others in the room fidgeted nervously or whispered amongst themselves.

"Just something between brothers," Seto answered, a wicked grin slowly forming on his face. Kako scooted her chair over a little more. "Alright, Mokuba? You want me, and now you've got me. I just wonder if maybe you're gambling a little too much…think of your _company_…"

"I am thinking, that's why we're casting you," Mokuba replied, not backing down. "The fact that THE Seto Kaiba is in our movie will draw a lot of people alone. The character gets to be moody and angry half of the time, and we know you can pull that off. What? Just stating the obvious…"

Kako made a tsk-ing sound with her tongue. "This is getting out of hand. Kaiba, I think I get it. If you don't think that you can do it, just say so, and we'll drop it, I promise…" Seto's hand darted towards her, yanking the writing instrument from her hands. "What was that for?" She complained.

"Give me the contract; I'll sign it right now." Seto glared disdainfully at the screenwriter's cries of "Sheesh! You probably gave me splinters when you grabbed that thing…" He turned to Mokuba, an edge of finality in his voice. "I'm not going to back down. I'm a man of my word, and I guess I'll have to wrench your little school project here out of the shadows and into—"

"Fine then! Sign here, here, initial there, and full signature at the bottom." Yanking her pencil back, she handed him a ballpoint pen. Seto understood; contracts had to be signed in ink. But something was wrong, he reasoned, this was happening too quickly. He still couldn't shake the suspicion that this was some sort of setup. He signed every line on the page after giving the list a cursory glance. He would have his lawyer look it over for possible loopholes just in case he couldn't take working with these people.

Seto couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive. The gleam in Mokuba's eyes hadn't left yet. What was going on? He hardly had a moment to consider before Mokuba was calling an end to the meeting. Chairs were being pushed backwards and people were chatting as they left. Mokuba was already standing over Seto's shoulder, smiling boyishly. "Don't you want to meet your costars?"Seto nodded numbly, following his brother. Kako gave some excuse about tidying up the office; she seemed to expect a war scene to break out in the multipurpose room and wanted to stay clear of the blast zone.

Seto wanted to curse the person who designed this building. It only furthered the feeling of being trapped. It seemed as if they were wandering aimlessly. This was trying his already thin patience. Eventually he sensed that they had reached their destination. He heard voices and laughter coming from the room at the end of the ridiculously long corridor. Mokuba opened the door and entered. Seto followed, his reserve almost cracking at the sight before him.

The two men already in the room had the strangest hairstyles he'd ever seen- and in his line of business, he'd thought he'd seen it all. The one with the colorful hair was trying, and failing, to hold back his laughter. The other man was kneeling before a very irritatingly familiar figure. Her sundress captured the sunny feel of the room, what with the picture windows giving him a view of the entire city. Her presence in the room immediately made him more annoyed with everything. From what he understood of the screenplay, the last person on earth he wanted casted opposite him was Serenity. The last woman in the room was immediately alerted to his presence and eyed him interestedly but said nothing, as if made of stone.

He wished they were filming this. The man on his knees was protesting something, his hands grasping Serenity's, his voice pleading. It was pathetic how he kept at it in that way.

"What don't you get? No means NO!"Serenity's voice was strained with frustration.

"No?"

Yes!"

His head shot up hopefully. "Yes?"

"NO!"

"Are we interrupting?" Mokuba said cheerily. They strode towards the group. Seto could have sworn he heard an "Oh, thank goodness…" from that girl, but withheld a comment.

"Mokuba! Hi!" Serenity turned around to greet them, but her relieved expression vanished when she was met with twice the trademark Kaiba smirk than she had anticipated. "You guys should come with a warning label…" She muttered.

"I've got one!" Duke replied, desperately trying again. His voice pitched seductively, "Would you like to see it?"

Nobody got a chance to respond for Yami had moved, swiftly delivering a punch to the side of Duke's head. Duke promptly fell over, unmoving.

"There's his label," Mokuba snickered, noticing the bright red mark on the actor's face.

"Why did you do that?" Serenity admonished, gasping at the sight.

"He had it coming." Yami brushed his hands off, frowning to match Serenity's. She couldn't deny that reason, so she switched her attention to what was nagging her. What was Seto doing here? She was getting a headache just thinking about him.

"What are you doing here anyways? Aren't you done here?"

With that, Mokuba grinned. "Serenity, Yami, Isis, Duke…meet your new co-star. We just cast him- my brother, Seto Kaiba." He expected a more vocal response, and he got it.

"YOU DID WHAT?"

Serenity's face was slowly turning the color of her hair. Seto smirked; for once, her anger was directed at someone other than himself. She looked angry and confused. "Spill it, Mokuba. Why did you bring me here? Why did you cast _him_, and you haven't said a word of it to me? I don't understand."

"You haven't signed the contract yet?" Seto asked, his eyes shining in mirth at her frustration. Did she think that she was more important to the movie than he was? Now he understood why they were in such a large room; they needed sufficient space for everyone's egos.

"Do you still want to do it?" Mokuba's voice was soft. He laid a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. He wanted her to want this role; motivation would be a necessary drive in order to deal with his brother.

"Of course I do," Serenity replied, instantly feeling better and calming down. "And I'm not going to let _anyone_ stop me from doing what I want to do."

"Fine then," Mokuba said, relieved. "Come with me."

Mokuba motioned for everyone to follow him out of the room. They trooped out, all but Duke, Serenity following dutifully behind Mokuba. Seto's eyes were on the pair the whole journey back to the office. He didn't say anything, and she had blown up- at him! And with one simple sentence, she had calmed down, and was doing what he asked! Women…he would never understand them, especially this one.

The contract lay undisturbed on the table of the office, where it had been left when Seto signed it. Kako was nowhere to be found. They all huddled around as Serenity took the same pen in her fingers and turned to her respective page of the contract. She initialed as she read, frowning at the withdrawal clause and adding a flourish to the nondisclosure clause statements. At the bottom of the page, on a wide black line, she signed her name: Serenity Wheeler.

As she leaned back to admire her work, dark laughter cut through the comfortable silence. She turned to face its source, confused. Seto still hadn't torn his gaze from the document, a mixture of shock and disbelief etched onto his features.

"I've only met one other Wheeler. Tell me, little Serenity, do you have a brother?"

"Seto, now is not the time," Mokuba hissed through clenched jaws.

Serenity gasped. His eyes were so angry- he was probably furious for being kept in the dark for so long. But she couldn't quite wrap her mind around _really_ why he was so angry. So what if he was roped into working with the little sister of someone he hated? As far as she knew, after high school, they hadn't exactly kept up the acquaintance. So why did it matter? Was he really that petty? But no matter what, she wasn't going to give the man who tormented her brother the satisfaction of tormenting her as well. No matter how dangerous double-crossing him was. She held her chin up high. "I'm not little."

"Enjoy that feeling now while it lasts, Serenity," he said, his voice dangerously edged. "Because you've got nothing going for you now."

"You have some nerve!" She cried, shaking with anger. "What does it even matter? All it shows is that what goes around, comes around! You try and mess with me, and I'll make your life so miserable…"

Yami stood back as he watched the barbs fly. "They really are perfect for this…" he mumbled.

"Exactly!" Serenity's eyes shone triumphantly, jumping on that subject. "Kaiba, even though I've only heard negative things about you, I wanted to give you a chance. But after everything that's happened today, I think that the world's got you exactly right!" She was gathering steam now. "Even though we'll have to work together, it won't be acting- I really do have you," she spat. "At least we know that the performances will be realistic!"

"We'll have to follow the script, true," Seto reminded her. "But that one scene is all that you've read, right?" He smirked in triumph at the train wreck of her argument. "You don't know what happens…eventually, your character falls in love with me."

His smirk only grew at her shocked expression. "Best to look before you leap, little Serenity. I wonder, will you be acting then?"

Serenity couldn't believe it. How could she be so stupid! This was a romance movie; naturally her character would fall for him. She inwardly grimaced, for who else would? From then on, she was convinced that anyone who knew him agreed completely with her- Seto Kaiba was the most arrogant, insufferable, and supercilious of men. "Kaiba! What do you think gives you the right to act like you own the place! Here, you're on the same level as all of us- you're working for Mokuba!"

Momentarily, Seto was taken aback. What he had said was true, but what she said was also true. They had both signed the contract; they both were signed under MKE. The mere thought of it 

infuriated him about as much as the fireball in front of him. This was an absolute 180 from the girl he thought he saw at the auditions. So where had this rebellious streak come from? Probably some sort of survival mechanism that switched on when she was threatened. He chuckled to himself at the thought. _Yes, she's a cat…that mutt's sister has to be a cat…_ He frowned. _With claws._

The room was silent, not even Serenity made a move to bask in her verbal victory. She seemed almost frightened at her words, not wanting to believe them herself. What a dent to his pride… But the chiming of the clock in the hallway alerted her to something far more drastic. "Oh no! 12:45…" Without as much of a word of warning to anyone in the room, she took off, hair and purse swinging behind her. Instinctively, Mokuba took off after her. The rest of the group shuffled around indecisively.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," Seto glared at Yami, breaking the silence. "Like I would ever be the one to run after her."

"Then you obviously haven't read all of the script," Yami quipped, earning yet another withering stare from the tired and annoyed CEO.

"I've had enough of this, I'm going back to work," he said, swiftly leaving the room. Yami and Isis watched him leave, almost unaware to the fact that they were alone.

"So," Yami said to Isis, "We should go check on Duke."

* * *

A/N: Thought I'd clarify: Yami, Isis, and Duke are taken out of the context of the anime, and are now your typical method actors. Well, Isis is your typical 'I'm such a great actress I should have gotten a bigger paycheck' type, and Yami and Duke are the method actors. All three of them have no relation at all to Joey, Mai, or the world of dueling (dodges bullets- sorry!) I don't want to reveal too much about the plot of the movie…Let's wait until Serenity herself gets a copy of the still-unfinished screenplay. Come on Kako, get on it! Yeah, that was sort of an inside joke. Comments, criticism or congratulations are always well received. If this story has taken up your time thus far, it should be no big deal to drop a line and tell me what you think!

Sakura Takanouchi

Oh, and, brownie points for correctly guessing what movie I took a stab at with this chapter title (It's just extra cool that it connotes to Duke). It's kind of an odd allusion, but it's one of my favorite movies. Hint: Dreamworks made it!


	7. Wedding Bells make for good Weapons

Title: Stranger things have happened

Author: Sakura Takanouchi

Summary: "It's not acting- I really do hate you," she spat. "We have to follow the script," Seto reminded her. "Eventually, your character falls in love with me." He smirked at her shocked expression. "I wonder, will you be acting then?" Setoxwho?

A/N: Thanks to Kako and Storm 38 for correctly identifying the movie as The Road to El Dorado! Don't own it, and I know, I'm lame for liking that movie…Hope everyone likes this chapter. Sorry it's so boring, but I've never been in a wedding, so a lot of the information is me making things up. Also, Joey _finally_ makes an appearance in this piece! Enjoy Chapter 7!

Disclaimer: Y'all know I don't own nothin' but my plot! Also don't own any movies I'm making fun of here. Next!

Chapter Seven: Wedding bells make for good weapons

* * *

--

"_Oh no! 12:45…" Without as much of a word of warning to anyone in the room, she took off, hair and purse swinging behind her. Instinctively, Mokuba took off after her._

--

Such was the scene of anyone unfortunate enough to be in the way of an almost-running late Serenity Wheeler. She was moving as fast as her sandaled feet could take her, and heaven help anyone who happened to be in her path. People ducked and ran aside, only to do so yet again when their boss appeared, chasing after the woman.

Mokuba's chest heaved as he finally caught up to her at the elevators. She was tapping the button repeatedly while her foot kept time. He raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Going somewhere?"

"Yes!" She cried impatiently. "I need to be somewhere at 1:00, and it is vital that I be there in time!" The doors opened with a slight chiming noise and she dashed in, Mokuba following quickly, lest he become trapped in the doors that were rapidly closing.

"Where are you going?" He asked, using the ride down to catch his breath. The ironically breathtaking view on the atrium was lost on the two; the lady's eyes were on nothing but the door and the man's were focused on the lady. "Maybe I can drive you…"

"Its only two blocks away," She said with a smile, politely refusing his offer. "I am more than capable of walking, and I quite enjoy it."

"I see," Mokuba said, although his expression betrayed that he thought she was much fonder of running. The elevator slowed until it arrived at the desired floor and Serenity was gone, having dashed out with the promise of calling him or coming back the next day. Mokuba walked as far as the 

receptionist's desk, resting a hand on the cool granite surface. Reiko smiled up at him; he was smirking, watching Serenity run down the steps and away from the building.

"She seems to be a very… _nice_ young woman," Reiko observed, studying her boss' expression. "…Serenity Wheeler, was it? She was the one hired for the job, right?" Mokuba nodded; his eyes still on the revolving door, which Serenity had wrestled with only moments before.

"Mr. Kaiba?"

Mokuba's eyes reverted back to the receptionist, inwardly cursing himself for not paying attention. "Hmm?"

"I have mail for you." She laughed at Mokuba's look of dread and handed him a single brown paper package, light enough to carry in one hand. "See?" She called as he left in the direction of the elevators. "Things are looking up…"

* * *

Serenity arrived in front of the small art supply store in record time, her breath coming out in harried gulps and sheen of perspiration on her face from the effort. She berated herself for even thinking about sweating in that outfit, and leaned against the wall. She felt herself exhale in relief when she heard the honk of Mai's car, alerting her to its arrival. "I wonder how long I can keep up this charade…" She mumbled upon seeing her friend, waving excitedly.

"Serenity! Come on, we can't be late for our appointment!" Serenity hopped into the seat beside Mai and the car roared to life, tires screeching as she pulled away from the curb. Her golden curls blowing behind her from the wind rushing through the convertible, she turned slightly to survey her friend. "Why are you all dressed up today? Everyone's going to think you're the bride." She laughed a little at her own joke, the car coming to rest at the command of a red light.

Serenity merely blushed and changed the subject, asking her friend about exactly where they were going.

"We have an appointment in fifteen minutes at the boutique; they've closed the store for us just so that we can choose dresses and shoes. I'm counting on you, too Serenity—I know you've got good taste."

They pulled into the closest parking spot, right next to the dark green Camry that Serenity recognized as Tea's. The shop was quaint even though situated only a few blocks out of downtown. Plate glass windows allowed them to see in to the yards of fabric that awaited them. The pair of bells on the handle of the door announced their arrival. Before either had said a word, a graying elder woman with the best posture Serenity had ever seen welcomed them.

"Good afternoon to you all. Your friend Tea has been waiting only a moment; we have been enjoying refreshments and getting to know each other very well. Would you like anything, a glass of water or an iced tea perhaps?"

On the lapel of her elegant cream-colored business suit read a nametag with the name 'Kyoko' in beautiful scrolled script. Mai accepted her offer while Serenity politely refused the beverage.

"Mrs. Kyoko, this store is very beautiful."

"My dear, just call me Kyoko. From the appointment booking I remember that you two are Miss Mai and Miss Serenity, am I right?"

"Not for much longer," Mai said with a roguish wink at her soon-to-be sister-in-law. Serenity was too enthralled with the different colors and styles of dresses to even notice the comment. They arrived at a small sitting area apart from the clothing. Pastels abounded in the deceptively roomy space. Tea looked up and smiled at them from her position on a peachy-toned striped damask divan. A tea set in gleaming pewter rested on a warm wooden coffee table. Kyoko gestured for both Mai and Serenity to join her. Mai moved to the space next to Tea on the miniature couch, and Serenity took a rose-colored chair, careful to sit with good posture on the piece of furniture that was most likely an antique. Kyoko had disappeared into an adjoining room and slowly wheeled out a rack of dresses, some white and some in color. The rack moved swiftly over the parquet floor.

"Now I've received your sizes from the appointment booking, so once we start trying on dresses, we'll see if these are correct. Have you decided on a color for the bridesmaids dresses yet?" The question was directed at Mai. She shook her head slowly, staring at the dresses with interest.

Eyeing the outfit that the blond had worn, a beam of inspiration graced Kyoko's features. She pulled a delicate dress off of the rack and motioned for Mai to take it. She held up the classic white dress with lavender beading with a smile. "I'll try it on," She said, moving to the adjacent room that Kyoko showed her. As Mai was changing, Kyoko began to show the two girls other color options.

"I think you should definitely wear something light…perhaps a green, purple, or maybe golden in tone." Tea was all for having pink bridesmaid dresses, but as soon as Mai heard that, she yelled her dissent from the other room.

Serenity couldn't hide her gasp when Mai came out of the room. She almost knocked over her teacup as she agreed with both Tea and Kyoko that Mai did indeed look stunning in that dress. It was a classic wedding dress but with the purple kick that everyone knew Mai loved. Tea clasped her hands together happily. "I love it!"

Mai admired her reflection in the mirror with a critical eye. "It's too modest."

"Are you kidding?" Serenity's eyes bulged. How could she say that, especially in front of Kyoko? "Mai, you're getting _married_… your parents are going to be there!"

"And they're the ones paying for these dresses, so we can choose whatever we want. They know me; I think they stopped being surprised long ago." Serenity was confused. She knew Mai's family had money; but would that be a sole reason to rebel? Unconsciously her thoughts drifted to the brothers Kaiba. They had much more money than sense, she reasoned, but they didn't rebel. It was almost the opposite with them-they seemed afraid to. She wondered why…

"Serenity? I asked you if you what you think about the dress?" Everyone was looking at her expectantly. She blushed at the attention and diverted her attention back to the dress. It really was lovely.

"I like it," She replied shyly. "The style and colors suit you."

"That's why you're a bridesmaid," Mai replied, satisfied. She turned to Kyoko. "Let's try on more with this same palette, but maybe designed a bit…more modern. And you two pick a dress! I can't bear having you waiting for me this whole time." They all went into the dressing rooms as Kyoko gathered more dresses in a queue for Mai to look at. Serenity picked up a peach-colored plain dress while Tea was drawn to a slightly darker apricot-toned halter dress. They tried on the dresses, and more after that.

As the afternoon dragged on, Kyoko's steps became less lively and those of the patrons were even less so. "How many more?"Mai's tresses were limp from exhaustion and even Tea was getting bored with trying on the beautiful dresses.

"I believe you have gone through our entire collection," Kyoko observed satirically, noting the numerous racks of dresses now filling the room.

"Great!" Tea flopped down on the miniature couch enthusiastically; looking at some Polaroids Kyoko had taken of the dresses they were particularly fond of. "Let's make a decision!"

They gradually narrowed their choices down to three, and re-tried on those. Serenity and Tea had an easier job than Mai, finally settling on the plain yet flattering style of Serenity's first choice combined with the darker fruit color of Tea's choice- something which complemented both of them. Mai was re-trying on a cream-colored dress that was rather elegant.

"Miss Mai, we are fully capable of having alterations performed if you are unhappy with any of the styles here," Kyoko informed her. The trio brightened considerably at this information. Mai rushed back to the room to try on the first dress. She was always one for first impressions, and this dress stuck with her.

"Let's see what we can do with this one," She said confidently. Serenity hid a smile. The dress would be perfect for her with just a little updating. Mai was already discussing with Kyoko how they could change the sleeves (by change she meant remove them) and maybe do something with the hem of the dress (raise it, and add some more color). Kyoko was busily making measurements and writing down notes. They would all have to come back for extra fittings and once they had all decided on shoes, the dresses would be hemmed.

They left the shop, extremely exhausted yet happy. "Mission accomplished!" Tea pumped a fist in the air dramatically. All Mai and Serenity could do was exchange tired smiles. They all got in their respective cars and drove away from the small store. Serenity gazed lazily out of the car window as the car wove through several streets, but bolted upright suddenly, as if something were wrong.

"Mai, why aren't we going back to my apartment?" Serenity groaned, already knowing the answer.

"Your brother hasn't even seen your face in what, a week? And I know he'd never admit it, but he needs you, Serenity—I can tell this whole wedding thing is finally seeping through to him." Mai laughed and Serenity smiled. Mai was a great tonic for her brother.

In no time at all they had pulled their car into the small driveway that led to the small row house that Mai and Joey shared. Serenity smiled upon seeing her brother appear from behind the screen door. He waved them in. She did miss him.

* * *

The front door of the Kaiba mansion swung closed with a sharp sound as the man himself strode in. He had been hard at work the whole day, trying to get a patent through on the new technology that his duel disks would need to keep KaibaCorp just one step ahead of the competition. Step? More like a quantum leap. But Seto wanted nothing more than a satisfying meal, a shower, and then a bed to sleep on until this whole process repeated itself day after day. He wondered if he would ever get tired of being so tired…

"Mokuba?" His first instinct was to check if his brother was home. He usually wasn't, but it was something Seto never stopped doing when he came home. To his surprise, the sound of footsteps led to the front hall.

"Seto, I thought you'd never come home!" Mokuba sounded exasperated, and proceeded to drag his brother by the sleeve to an adjourning room. Seto hid his surprise and amusement as his socked feet skidded on the hardwood floors. What had gotten into Mokuba?

They found themselves in their den of sorts, simply an informal room Mokuba used to watch TV. Seto noticed that the media cabinets were opened, and DVDs lay scattered about the massive entertainment system which dominated one wall entirely. Commanding his brother to sit on the ash-colored sofa, Mokuba smiled triumphantly at his brother's wary eye.

"You are going to be acting in a movie, Seto. A _movie_. Do you have any idea of what the typical actor does to prepare for a role? Have you given any thought to what you should do before we even start filming?"

Thoughts of a leisurely evening flew out the window as Mokuba picked up the remote. As much as Seto hated to admit it, even to himself, he was a far cry from an expert in this field. He should trust Mokuba's advice- whatever this was, it couldn't be that bad. "So what would you have me do?" Seto's voice was caustically sarcastic, but in reality he was curious. They had rarely shared anything concerning their work before Seto was let in to this other world, and maybe whatever was going to happen was a regular occurrence.

Mokuba took a deep breath. "Well, let's face it, Seto, you're not exactly a romantic person. You have no idea how to make any romantic situation seem natural, and so I think I have a good solution for you." He paused and almost instinctively ducked the scathing glare being sent his way.

"You don't need to make it sound that bad," Seto replied, sounding insulted.

"Come on, Seto, you're practically married to your job- and became so with hardly any romancing at all." He allowed a thin line to sneak across his features as he watched his elder brother regard him with false scorn. "This is so much worse than I feared. We need Kate, and we need Leo. And we need them now." Mokuba proceeded to turn on the TV, where Mokuba forced Seto to sit through most of the movie, refusing to let him leave and almost laughing out loud as his disgruntled expression grew. Seto Kaiba was in for a rough night.

* * *

Serenity was in for no picnic either. Where had Joey developed the idea that he could cook? When she had lived with him for awhile during college, she had always been the one who made the meals. Culinary art, he called it. That was invariably followed by a comment to how she was messing up, by being so involved with her art. But she could say the same thing about his nearly obsessive dueling habit. One thing she could say about her brother, though, was that he was tenacious.

Dinner tasted better than it looked, but the conversation nearly drove Serenity away from the house. It started with the age-old question. "So, what are you up to this summer, Serenity?"

As soon as the words had left Joey's mouth, Serenity couldn't meet his eyes. She couldn't interrupt all of their wedding plans by telling him about her recently acquired 'movie deal'. She hoped that Mai wouldn't bring it up, because she hated not telling Joey the truth. She had no idea how he would react to his former nemesis coming back into his life in this way. Even though if what she had heard held true, only Joey considered Kaiba as his 'enemy'. The feeling would most definitely not be mutual.

"Oh you know, just the usual. Picking up an extra shift at the store, and trying as ever to make that masterpiece." She smiled brightly at him, hoping he would drop the matter.

"Serenity, you know how we feel about the painting thing, right? Isn't it time that you got a different job, one where you could rise up in the ranks a little? You deserve to be at the top…even if painting does make you happy…"

Serenity kept her smile, not wanting to let them see how badly their words pierced her. "You just wait until you see the beautiful piece that I'm painting as a wedding present," she said, thankful that Mai jumped on the topic change, telling her husband-to-be all about their afternoon picking out the perfect dresses. Serenity had tuned out about as much as she knew Joey was.

* * *

It was late, and the media room looked trashed. Drinks and plates cluttered the tables and loose DVDs lay without cases as a sort of odd garnish to the scene. Mokuba was passed out onto the couch, his breathing steady and even. Seto rubbed his eyes, not quite wanting to get up.

They had watched Titantic, Pirates of the Caribbean, and part of Becoming Jane before Mokuba had started to fall asleep. At one point in the evening (before the pizza, testament enough to the fact that Seto had missed out on his dinner) Seto had rifled through the numerous DVDs, surprised that they had so many and he had never noticed it. He picked up the case in particular that Mokuba had reacted so exceptionally to. There wasn't anything special about it—the typical lovesick guy was on the cover, staring in a lovesick way at some girl who was probably just as lovesick. What was it that made one succumb to the disease? It seemed so contagious, that the only way around it was to keep your distance. He slowly read the words on the cover. "Pride and prejudice…"

_"What about this one?" Seto asked, holding up the pastel-colored box and waving it through the air. _

_"No! We're not going to watch that one!" Mokuba swiped it from him and placed it face down on the table. _

_"Why not?" Seto asked, bemused as to why Mokuba was so inclined towards that particular movie. "This movie can't be worse than the others. What's so special about it that you got it out and yet we can't watch it?"_

_He could just see the pained expression on Mokuba's face. His eyes flickered to the ceiling in annoyance, driving Seto even further to understand what was going on. "It's called Pride and Prejudice…I didn't think you wanted to watch your life story, Seto."_

_"So funny." The retort was delivered with a small frown. Seto dropped the matter, confident that he could discover the reason eventually. _

"Pride and Prejudice…" Seto slowly let the words sink in. They had a familiar ring to them, for other reasons than Mokuba had hinted. It took a moment for his mind to wrap around it.

It was a book, a novel he had been forced to read for a Brit Lit class he had taken in college; he had found it incredibly devoid of originality and plot. None of the relationships there were logical, reasonable, or had any foundation. If that man- Darcy- had any sense at all he would have just remained at his manor and away from all of those trying to bring him down. With a scowl, he set the offending DVD case in one of the many drawers in the media cabinet. He took a moment to stretch his sore muscles and trudged upstairs to get some sleep. His head was killing him.

-

-

* * *

A/N: I apologize profusely for the long wait…I'm so busy every day with classes so this chapter is a tad scrawny. But the next one is going to be great, I can tell. I dropped some major hints in this chapter about what's coming up, so see if you can guess where I'm headed here! Thanks to **Storm 38, Blueshadows2010, Kako, Sakurelle, UnlessAbsolutelyNecessary, Tie4, Yami no Game, and one anonymous reviewer** for giving me much needed and appreciated commentary, advice, and praise. Also, if you liked this, please check out my newest short story, Polaroids! I really want it to get more exposure. As always, please leave a review on your way out. You'll be glad you did…and I'll be glad you did too.

Until Next Time,

Sakura Takanouchi


	8. Down to Business, Up in Flames

Title: Stranger things have happened

Author: Sakura Takanouchi

Summary: "It's not acting- I really do hate you," she spat. "We have to follow the script," Seto reminded her. "Eventually, your character falls in love with me." He smirked at her shocked expression. "I wonder, will you be acting then?" Setoxwho?

Disclaimer: Insert clever funny awe-inspiring probably ripped-off disclaimer here

Chapter Eight: Down to Business, Up in Flames

* * *

--

_With a scowl, Seto set the offending DVD case in one of the many drawers in the media cabinet. He took a moment to stretch his sore muscles and trudged upstairs to get some sleep. His head was killing him. _

--

"S…is for the way you scowl at me…"

"E…is for the eyes that could cut through me…"

"T…is terribly, hard to rhyme something with…"

"O…is for oh this seemed like such a good idea before it actually happened."

And thus Mokuba abandoned his meter as he left his older brother's bedroom before he got up and caused some permanent damage.

Seto arrived in the kitchen minutes later, glaring at his bushy-eyed brother who was sipping orange juice through a straw. "Glad to see you're up," he quipped.

"Yeah…I thought I had a nightmare—something about a black-haired banshee singing to wake me up," Seto countered, taking a muffin with him to the table where his customary black coffee was waiting.

"Charming, Seto," Mokuba answered. "Just letting you know that you need to be at the studio this afternoon to put in a few hours of work. We're going to shoot some of the preliminary scenes, you know—get our soundstage stuff out of the way before we have to go on location."

Seto Kaiba was not the sort of person who spits out his coffee, but this information pushed those boundaries. "Does that mean what I'm afraid that means?" Mokuba nodded happily.

"Vacation!!"

Seto groaned as Mokuba jumped up from his chair. "Don't forget—this afternoon!" Mulling it over, Seto decided that Mokuba should never be put in the position to make decisions again. How on Earth was he going to spare the time to go to whatever faraway locale Mokuba had picked out? And he didn't want to spend any more time in the company of the, uh… company than he absolutely had to. Grabbing his briefcase, Seto went to his limo, already convinced that there was no merit left in the day.

* * *

Serenity had received a package the previous night when she had returned to her apartment; a brown-papered package, hand-delivered. Assuming it was from Mokuba, she discovered a spiral-bound copy of several scenes from the earlier portion of the movie, complete with dialogue and some notes scribbled in the margins. A post-it note attached to the front gave a cheerful reminder to have the first scene ready for a run-through the next morning. Sighing, she kicked off her shoes and collapsed on her futon, reading the words with a smile.

And that was where she remained the next morning. The rays of the early morning sun were a welcome reminder that she had places to be that day. The pages were strewn about her half-awake form; her arm had been her pillow; and as a yawn escaped her, she wondered how on Earth she had been able to fall asleep here in the first place.

"Coffee…" the auburn haired woman staggered around the tiny apartment, turning on machines and showers. 15 minutes later, she was coherent enough to remember to check her answering machine to see if Mokuba had left any form of instructions for when to report for duty. She had taken a sip of the miracle beverage when three loud raps sounded on her door. Not bothering to check the identity of her visitor, she opened the door, shocked to find Mokuba at her doorstep.

"I thought you were my morning newspaper!" She exclaimed as he ducked under her arm that was forming a barrier of sorts into her apartment.

"And aren't you glad it's me?" He questioned cheekily, immediately making himself at home in her living room. "This is great—can we shoot in here?" He looked around interestedly, taking everything in.

Serenity couldn't believe what was happening right in front of her eyes. She bent over backwards to keep people from her apartment, and he slips in easily. She looked around, nervously noting dust on the bookshelves and books and clothing strewn about. Not to mention the painting supplies that graced the room with their omnipresence. "Not that I don't appreciate your company, Mokuba—it's just that I don't have many visitors. Actually, I don't have any visitors. Ever." Mokuba ignored the hint.

"And why not? I think this place fits you perfectly. Wow, what a view," he smiled, his black bangs flopping around his face.

"Really? I mean…you're the first person to say things like that." Against all her better judgment, she joined him on the futon.

"And why shouldn't I? It seems like you are exactly the type of person you want to be right now. You seem content and happy. If anyone else has a problem with that, then that's their problem. Hey— the view outside is great, too." Mokuba left Serenity sitting there, feeling slightly confused. With a call of 

"1:00—be there!" and the sound of the door clicking closed, he was gone, and Serenity was wondering if this endeavor was going to be much more than she bargained for. She glanced up at the spot where Mokuba was and smiled thinly, scratching her head. Breakfast was salvageable. Her sanity was not.

* * *

Serenity arrived right on time for her; in reality she was fifteen minutes early. Reiko pointed her to the elevators with a knowing smile; the lobby was still full of people mingling and chatting, their identities unknown probably to Mokuba himself. After arriving on the right floor, Serenity proceeded to "turn left at the painting" with a smile, wandering through the corridor, all the while wishing MKE had maps.

It was the sounds of voices and music that drew Serenity to the familiar soundstage. Her shoes clacked on the cement floors, drawing the attention of a familiar face. Kako looked up from the table with a smile and a wave, drawing Serenity into this new world. "I'm glad you're here, Serenity! Mokuba told me he gave you quite a scare this morning." A quick smile and a change of topic brought them walking to the apartment set where Serenity had done her audition. They could see Mokuba, looking very official in a black polo with MKE embroidered in white, talking with Yami, Duke, and Isis. A push on the shoulder and Serenity was thrust towards them, Kako gone from her side. The trio of actors greeted her, Yami explaining that they were going to do a run-through of the opening scene from the movie.

"No pressure, Serenity, just a bunch of friends hanging out at your place. I'm sure it's something you can relate to easily." Even his reassuring hand on her shoulder did little to calm her, wondering if there was any ulterior motive to her boss' earlier visit. He guided her over to the worn futon, where they both rested, Serenity drawing up her knees onto the cushion. "Relax, okay?"

_She was Shizuka Kawai…_

* * *

The lighting in the set made it seem like it was early evening, and Serenity focused her attention on Yami, getting strength from him as they discussed their plans. He had poked his head through the door only minutes earlier, as he did every day. They say that neighbors can become friends, but in this case, best friends had become neighbors. The calendar pinned to the wall was opened to the month of April, and Serenity found it easy to talk to Yami, as if they truly had known each other for years. "Graduate school, huh? I'm not surprised that they wanted you for their program," Yami's mellow voice brought Serenity back to that morning, relaxing her. The cameras didn't exist.

"But you know, Yugi that it all hinges on my senior portfolio. I can't believe you, going to America for business school! You'll have to let me know how it goes, promise?" They smiled at each other, full of promise for the future. Their moment was interrupted by three sharp raps at the door. A joint call of "it's open" prompted the entrance of Duke and Isis, the former carrying several shopping bags. "Ryuji! You know better than to go shopping with Ishizu! Your arms are going to be sore for days!" Serenity chastised. Duke dropped the bags at their feet, wincing when his arms rose up to the armrest of the chair automatically.

"Shizuka, you know I can handle it…besides, it's my weekly workout!" He winced again as his hand flexed, hiding his pain from his friend .Yami chuckled at them. If Duke had it bad for her, Ryuji had it worse. "I heard about the art program, Shizuka, congratulations!"

She blushed at the praise. "I haven't heard what you're doing after graduation, Ryuji. How did your interviews go?"

His pride swelled with the question. His friends should be the first to know. "Industrial Illusions sent me their answer yesterday. They want to hire me on a fast-track program, so I'll be rising through the ranks in no time!"

"My cousin's in something like that," Yami said softly, almost too quiet to be heard.

Shizuka took over for him. "I'm so happy for you! That was your first choice, right? And you'll be staying right here in Domino—the only one of us who is, actually."

Isis, always one to observe, was the last one to speak. "She's right. I'm leaving a few weeks after graduation to travel and start my work in the Middle East." Serenity looked at her friend with admiration. She was going to rebuild her roots and the lives of many people.

"So once we graduate… do we just go our separate ways, then? We'll all be thrown across the globe, waiting for our 5-year reunion? We have some time left until then, so let's make the most of it!"

"Hear Hear!" Duke chorused, always the first to agree with Serenity.

In the small apartment living room, they decided to go on one last trip, to celebrate four years well spent and the future which looked so bright to each of them. In two weeks they would pack their bags and head to the beach, for an experience that none of them would ever forget.

* * *

"Aaand…cut!" Mokuba motioned for the cameras to stop rolling and called over Isis to discuss some things. Yami stretched but stayed in his chair.

"A good take," he commented to Serenity. "I think Mokuba's going to keep it."

"What do you mean keep it? I thought this was a run-through," Serenity corrected him.

"You did think it was." Yami watched her out of the corner of his eyes, waiting for the explosion.

"I DID WHAT!?" In an instant, Serenity was out of her futon and marching towards her boss, about ready to shake him by his popped collar. "Mokuba Kaiba, why did you see fit to keep me in the dark like that?"

He paled at the angry woman about to throttle him and he could see Kako hiding her face behind her clipboard. "We thought that it would give a more realistic performance if there was less pressure; less buildup. And it worked, so no big deal, right?" He attempted a smile at Serenity, whose mood rivaled the color of her hair.

"We? So everyone was in on it?"She glared murderously at her trio of co-stars; each shifted their gaze, unable to directly look her in the eye. "I can't believe any of you!" Serenity turned sharply and tore out of the room, leaving its occupants very bewildered.

"Your idea," Duke huffed, as the door swung several times with Serenity's dramatic exit.

"But where can she go?" Mokuba wondered aloud, turning back to Isis, talking in hushed tones. It didn't really matter to him where she went. If Serenity could find her way out of his building, he'd let her leave—for now.

* * *

Seto Kaiba was having one of those days. But as he was far above the average Joe; one of those days meant that if looks could kill, the lobby of MKE would be empty. His 'wake-up call' was a bad omen for a terrible day at work—he was working like mad to reserve enough spare time for the filming, while overseeing new product design and advertising because "the Christmas season would start extra-early this year!" He controlled his reaction to a gruff snarl at Reiko's smile and wave, and set to glaring murderously at the camera in the elevator. He strode briskly out of the elevator and at the end of the hallway promptly knocked over an equally angry Serenity Wheeler.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She shrieked, adjusting her hair and clothing, before realizing who she had ran into. "Oh, it's just you."

"I'm 'turning left' at the damn painting!" He growled, getting to his feet quickly, not bothering to offer a hand to help her up as well.

"Well, I'm sorry I got in your way!" She shot back, scrambling awkwardly to stand opposite him. She refused to move around him, he seemed unwilling to walk except in a straight line. "Wait…what did you say about the painting?"

It registered faintly in the recesses of Seto's mind that she was unnaturally worked up about a lousy painting, but they were both too angry, everything was just boiling over. "It's a stupid painting; why is that the landmark everyone uses in this place?"

They were both practically shouting by now. Serenity was shocked. Although she didn't value the opinion of Seto Kaiba very highly (try at all), how dare he insult her work! Let him try to work out his frustrations through painting—he could probably use the therapy. She couldn't believe he could be that cruel. "This is the metaphorical freaking straw that breaks the proverbial freaking camel's back! Seto Kaiba, you are an insensitive jerk! Don't you dare say anything when you don't know what you're talking about!"

This specimen of a female was more confusing to him than any other he'd met. Her shouting was starting to grate on his already worn nerves. And he couldn't take any more Advil for an hour and a half. "What the hell are you talking about, Wheeler?"

Their argument paused when the door closest to them burst open and Mokuba came out looking extremely annoyed. Kako followed him out until realizing who was in the hallway—she quickly ducked back through the alcove and disappeared.

"Where did you come from?" Serenity couldn't help but wonder.

"Side door to the soundstage," Mokuba motioned, noticing that this newfound knowledge did little to assuage either's voracious tempers. "Architect probably thought it was a practical joke."

"You mean we don't have to get lost to get to our set?" Serenity couldn't believe that no one had told her this! "What else are you hiding from me, Mokuba? Is my apartment repossessed? Am I somehow married to him?" The sharp glance of the elder Kaiba afforded her a mean laugh. "Sorry, I couldn't think of anything more unpleasant."

Mokuba turned to Serenity, addressing her first. "Really, if we had known how you were going to react, we never would have filmed it that way. Now I want you to just hang out for the rest of the day; you won't be in any scenes. I'll send you more lines later on tonight. Serenity, I'm sorry."

Both men received an angry glare before she turned on her heel and vanished into the elevator. "You're forgiven," floated back towards them, leaving a relieved Mokuba and a still very disgruntled Seto.

"What did you do to make her so mad at you?" Mokuba asked after the elevator doors had visibly moved and the carriage had begun its descent.

"Why are you assuming it was my fault?" They were brothers; Mokuba wasn't supposed to take her side! "I merely said something about that painting and she exploded at me!" A string of invectives followed, barely audible to Mokuba—something about 'painting', 'women', and 'not allowed in public.'

Mokuba groaned, fitting the pieces together. "Seto, you idiot." Dragging his brother by the creased cuff of his sleeve, they stood in front of the painting. Mokuba pointed to the messily scrawled signature in the corner. "Serenity painted this, Seto. She's a professional artist—that's why we hired her for this role. Shizuka's an artist too." He let his brother sort out everything, leaving him to stare at the painting of the defiant little sunflower, the only thing on the canvas besides the great blue expanse of the sky. He grudgingly understood why she was so angry. He had openly insulted her whole reason for being, and he had done so ignorantly. That in itself irritated him about as much as anything had. And he had to admit, that after awhile, the little sunflower started to grow on him. A little. The only problem was, _she_ didn't know that.

* * *

Serenity was curled up in a comfy chair in the recesses of the soundstage watching the scene before her with interest, an empty star bucks cup in her hands. She wasn't even sure if they knew she was lurking in the room, but it was nice to watch Yami talking with Seto on the other soundstage making up Yugi's apartment. They did seem like estranged cousins; Yami was politely distant while Seto was holding on to his anger from the afternoon. Their voices echoed around the large room; Serenity could hear them clearly.

"This is your mother's fault," Seto began, pacing a little in the small space. He looked defiantly uncomfortable with the situation, his eyes everywhere but the camera lens.

"For what? Having me?" The sarcasm was not lost on the older man, who continued pacing. "I know Domino feels like exile compared to Kyoto, but it's only for a summer. You should get to know the city, the people—that's what this whole thing is about!"

A silence followed the outburst; Seto looked at his cousin like he was possessed. "I don't need to 'know' anything, Yugi. Don't think you're trying to help me. I'm only here because I have to be."

Yami looked disappointed. But then, his cousin had always been independent, aggressively so. But this did give him an opening. "Well, since you have to be with me, and I'm going to the beach… that means that you have to come to the beach with me."

Seto looked stunned, clearly not expecting this turn of events. "I...you… what!?"

Yami let the triumphant smirk slide easily across his features. "It's a win-win situation, Seto. You get to meet my friends, go on a relaxing vacation, and you never have to admit that it may be exactly what you want." It would have been too corny to wink, so Yami just let his cousin stew in his surprise.

"I don't want to meet your lame friends," Seto scoffed petulantly, a clear sign he was acceding. "I will go on this stupid vacation of yours, but I don't have to enjoy a second of it or be responsible for babysitting any of your geek squad, got it?"

"Exceptionally loud and clear," Yami quipped, taking Seto's suitcase in hand and motioning to leave to another room. "How long until your house gets furnished?"

Seto gave an unintelligible grunt as a response; the two left the main room and continued their conversation off-screen. Serenity could almost hear the cheesy friendship music weaving in the background. _Aww, they had a moment! Let's celebrate it in song_! Serenity watched Mokuba cut the scene and spoke with the two actors, motioning with his hands as he talked. They resumed their places to run more takes of the scene.

"_I don't want to meet your lame friends."_

"_I don't want to meet your lame friends."_

It droned on and on in Serenity's head, always delivered in that same fashion. _Seto probably has plenty of practice delivering this line in real life_. It twisted around in the pit of her stomach strangely, like the equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. It irritated her even more that she was getting so worked up over lines. So what if he recited words on paper? _He didn't have to do it so convincingly_. So why did it bother her? Was she striving for his good opinion or something? The thought almost made her laugh. So why did she cover it up? Was she afraid of being seen? She wasn't sure, and didn't want to admit anything to herself just yet. Serenity leaned back into her comfortable chair and waited for what was to come with breathless anticipation.

--

--

* * *

A/N: So sorry for the long wait, but I decided to put out this and Synergy at the same time; a double treat for you readers! As always, muchas gracias to **Yami no Game **(Yep…Kaiba's gonna be a painkiller junkie by the time I'm through with him)**, guardian of vampires **(glad you thought so!)**, Kako **(you don't get a response, sorry xD)**, Storm 38 (**Last chapter was kinda filler…hope you liked this one!)**, UnlessAbsolutelyNecessary **(Yeah…I will be attending a wedding before I write the one here, hopefully I won't have to make things up!)**, Blueshadows2010 **(I agree, the Mokuba/Kaiba moments make this story)**, Unique Art **(I think everyone liked that part best haha)**, Tie4 **(I'm happy you like the story)**, Sakurelle **(I will soon, don't worry!)**, Shadows.Dance** (glad you like it!)**, Angel of Darkness231 **(That was a superfast update, huh?)**, **and** karategirl666** (yay movie vernacular! Thanks). I'm glad I can make you guys laugh and you found it entertaining!

My anniversary of birth is arriving this Sunday, another reason I wanted to get new chapters out quickly. Reviews would be the best birthday present ever!

Thanks for Reading!

Sakura Takanouchi


	9. Anything but Cloud Number 9

Title: Stranger Things Have Happened

Author: Sakura Takanouchi

Summary: "It's not acting- I really do hate you," she spat. "We have to follow the script," Seto reminded her. "Eventually, your character falls in love with me." He smirked at her shocked expression. "I wonder, will you be acting then?" Setoxwho?

A/N: Wow, many reviewers and birthday wishes!! Thanks to everyone, you guys are so motivating! I'm sorry that this took so long… real life gets in the way… a lot… anyways; I hope you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine to own, but this highly original plot so is (pshaw…. Also, if any pop culture references exist in here, don't own them)

Chapter Nine: Anything but Cloud number Nine

--

_So why did it bother her? Was she striving for his good opinion or something? The thought almost made her laugh. So why did she cover it up? Was she afraid of being seen? She wasn't sure, and didn't want to admit anything to herself just yet. _

--

Serenity leaned back into her comfortable chair and waited for what was to come with breathless anticipation. Mokuba had cut the scene for the final time, and everyone went from nervous chatter to easygoing laughter. It made her smile, looking from one person to the others. It finally struck her, then, just how much time that they would be spending together in the future. And, oddly enough, a small part of her might just be looking forward to—

"What are you doing here?"

Serenity's happy reveries were interrupted by a disdainful male voice. She looked up, her neck craning to meet the iron gaze of the CEO-turned-actor. "I was watching the scene; what's wrong with that?"

Seto looked like he wasn't expecting that sort of answer. "Well, we should have been informed. I wasn't aware that this was an _open_ set—"

"Look, if you have a problem with me being here, just say it!" She hissed, tactfully trying not to draw the attention of the others in the room. "I know working in front of other people is difficult to get used to. I hate painting in front of other people."

She was struggling to reach out to the man, to heal those friction burns created during their previous encounters, yet he didn't see it that way. "I don't have any problem." He strode away, his visage twisted into a scowl.

_Witty response_. Serenity at least was able to relax a bit more now that he had left. She wondered briefly what sorts of thoughts could even run through that man's mind; but pushed that aside as more of a curse than a wish. Another shadow fell over her; she looked into the gently smiling face of Yami. "Are you doing alright? You look a little bewildered."

She managed a smile at her companion. "I'm fine, but thanks for asking, Yami."

"I think we're done here for the day." He crouched down a little to converse at her level. "No one would blame you if you went home and rested there." He winked at her as he relayed that Mokuba told him that they were having a photo shoot the next day. "For the publicity-posters and stuff."

She giggled at the thought of herself; a giant cardboard person at a movie theater. "Sounds like fun."

"Mokuba thought it would ease some of the tension," Yami said, agreeing with her. "We should be like a family, especially once we're on location." He paused, lost in thought for a moment. "Anyways, you should be at your own place." He shooed her from her chair, walking her through the door.

"Don't you know, my place is this place?" She laughed as his eyebrows quirked at the information. "My apartment is in another entrance to this building. What a commute, right?"Laughter really was the best medicine; Serenity felt better by the time she was home.

* * *

"Now, you guys are best friends! Act like it!"

Mokuba's voice was obnoxiously loud normally, and with a megaphone, it echoed off the walls, ensuring that everyone in downtown Domino knew of his commands. The window shades were drawn closed, but the room was almost bright as day with all the specialized lights and the continuous flash of cameras. In the middle of the room, in front of an all-white backdrop, Isis, Yami, Serenity, and Duke were standing and smiling for the camera. It was Mokuba's idea for a series of group shots, so the four friends had their arms slung around each other's shoulders, laughing as if sharing a secret held between them. Mokuba was doing his best to motivate them, but what he didn't know was that he was succeeding—they were laughing about him.

"I wonder if that megaphone has a Darth Vader switch," Duke joked, provoking another round of laughter as the cameras captured the moment on film.

"Yeah… 'Seto, I am your brother,'" Yami joked. After several more minutes, the cameras stopped momentarily as they changed configurations, with pictures taken of all of them separately, and some staged pictures of the group. It wasn't until the sound of the door swinging open hushed the group, and in walked an unusually grumpy Seto Kaiba, clad in a designer dress shirt and dark slacks, looking every tailored inch the young executive.

"Hey, Seto, you look great, so why so exceptionally foul?" Mokuba greeted his brother unfortunately through the microphone, thus amplifying the words for everyone in the room to hear. "What? Come again?"

"Your. People. Put. Cosmetics. On. My. Face." The words were gritted out with resistance. The rest of the cast covered their amusement; he obviously had never done this before.

"Embrace it, man!" Duke came up to him, beckoning him over to the camera setting, where Serenity was finishing a solo photo shoot, staged with different expressions. Seto smoothed the crease of his shirt back to perfection, scowling at the man who would be comfortable with that unnatural powder and whatever else Mokuba's costume and makeup people had put on him.

"Okay, this one is for Yami, Seto, and Serenity!" Mokuba called through the megaphone. "Now do something cute… Serenity, how about you and Seto stand back to back and look like you're trying to ignore each other. Yami, you're trying to keep the peace. Break!"

The three actors tried their best to achieve Mokuba's loud vision, trying multiple configurations and expressions until he was satisfied. "I can't concentrate," Serenity grumbled audibly. "_Somebody_ is wearing some very stifling lotion."

"Not. My. Fault," Seto hissed. They were doing a shoot with just the two of them, facing each other.

"We need some different facial expressions from you guys! This is a romantic comedy, look flirtatious or something!"

Mokuba's demands could not have come at a worse time. "You heard him, get into character," Seto smirked. Serenity let out a short yelp as ice-cold fingers gripped her arms right above the elbows, bringing her even closer to him. "What?" His form towered over her by almost a foot, his mouth was situated near her ear. He whispered into her ear, his voice low yet unwavering. "Can't take the heat?"

Bright eyes matched his, a sly smile to counteract the slim smirk. "You should be the one who's worried." She had to give him credit, he hardly flinched when her arms snaked up to rest on his shoulders, although his eyes betrayed his surprise at her taking things a step further. It might have looked like they were slow-dancing.

Serenity's eyes twinkled with mischief as her fingers played with the hair growing at the nape of his neck; leading to only the most natural conclusion. "Is the great Seto Kaiba ticklish?"

"You wouldn't dare," he growled. She yelped again as his arms moved to circle her waist; she doubted she was in any position to make threats now. His eyes glinted; "should I be asking you the same question?"

She was speechless; he chuckled a little at her tenacity; but of course he was invincible at any battle of wits. He had to commend her, though; he was beginning to realize just how much nerve this slip of a girl really had. "You still smell like funny lotion."

She still had a long way to go. "You know, I'm starting to think that you like it."

"Aaaaaand…cut!" Mokuba's voice cut through the tension like a knife with the help of his megaphone. Serenity couldn't speak for the lump forming in her throat; she felt his arms move away from her as if she could burn him. Her hands hung limply at her side, the force of gravity only reinforcing the saying 'limp noodle.' Never had she felt more confused. "That was great!" Mokuba shouted jubilantly. "We got a bunch of really good shots. We can splice them all and make some really great posters and cutout and stuff. It'll take the country by storm! I'll be sure to sneak you some copies."

His words stunned her. _Serenity, you dummy_. "They're going to be… everywhere?"

"Of course! Movie theatres, Shopping centers, newspapers…"

The last thing Serenity wanted was pictures of herself and Seto Kaiba embracing splashed all over the city. She knew that Joey wasn't the most informed person, but he was bound to pick up a newspaper sometime. Not to mention the trailers on TV… Why hadn't she thought of this sooner?

"How long?"

Mokuba responded to her vague query with an "hmmm?"

"Until they go up, I mean."

"Oh! It should take another few weeks, and the trailers can't come out until after we get back from location," he answered wisely, waving to the cameramen who were already packing up and preparing to leave. "Are you excited about location? We'll be filming for about ten days, it'll be great!" Serenity smiled weakly. She still hadn't figured out how she was going to tell Joey and Mai…without letting on about the whole 'movie' thing. And there was still so much to do for the wedding! She felt a slight pang at leaving Mai to wrestle with caterers and decorators, who knew what countless things, had to happen to get their special day just perfect.

"Serenity, snap out of it. I was wondering if you wanted to go eat with Seto and I." Mokuba twisted his torso, scanning the room. "Where is he, anyway?"

Probably washing his face. The thought made her giggle. They would probably go to a fancy restaurant, but the awkward factor would probably spoil the great food. It was well enough, but Serenity didn't want to be in debt to either Kaiba. "It's a kind offer, but I'm meeting Tea to eat and help shop for her wedding present."

Mokuba's ears perked up upon hearing the magic word. "Wedding? Whose?"

_He didn't know? Of course he wouldn't know_. "Joey and Mai's." She couldn't help the beam of pride that surfaced at the words. It was contagious, Mokuba returned the warm sentiments very sincerely. "He _finally_ proposed several months ago and their wedding is planned shortly after we end filming." Her teeth showed again, pleased that Joey was finally able to really start to build the family that he's always wanted. Mokuba was smiling too; a happy sparkle in his eye. The cast bid each other farewell, each leaving independently, until only the brothers Kaiba remained.

"Geez, Seto, how long does it take to wash your face?"

* * *

The sounds of classical music filtered through the apartment; giving added depth and dimension to the small space. The only other sound was the scratch of a bristle brush on canvas. Serenity was hard at work finishing up the painting that was to be her present to Joey and Mai. She was almost done; the painting was taking a modern perspective that she knew Mai would appreciate; several wavy green and blue lines snaked their way across the canvas, and white and yellow shapes were splashed about the top, forming a sort of geometric garden.

Brushes tipped with paint stirred in a jar full of water as Serenity wiped the burgeoning beads of sweat from her forehead. The painting was truly remarkable; she was proud of her work. A new brush swirled through black paint; with a signature and a date, the painting was complete. She _hoped_ that they would like it. She _knew_ that they would like it.

From her position at the easel, Serenity had a clear view of the open door to her bedroom, and the half-full suitcase, navy blue and with more zippers than she knew what to do with. It was going to be a long night… by pure instinct she reached for the coffeemaker.

Exhausted and nursing a steaming cup of coffee, Serenity collapsed onto her futon. She slowly alternated long sips of the warm beverage with long stares at the phone dock resting on her coffee table. Nothing seemed to calm her nerves. _I'm having a staring contest with an inanimate object… what's wrong with me?_ She had to remind herself to drift back to the task at hand. What would they think? Then again, why would she need anyone's opinion? She wasn't the one getting married, she didn't need anyone's blessing. Except her own. The surface of the drink grew cold as she waited for her inner strength to call. She would have to summon it on her own.

"_Hello, you've reached the home of Serenity Wheeler. I'm sorry, but I'll be out of town and unreachable for the next 10 days. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."_

* * *

"And the reason that you haven't asked me before this very moment is…? I'm dying to hear it."

Seto's wry wit could not be more ill-timed. His younger brother practically withered under the gaze. It wasn't the malicious gaze, thank goodness. Just one second of _that_ could make his hair curl. It was the you-messed-up-and-so-I'm-going-to-make-you-suffer-because-I-think-its-funny gaze. It might even be patented.

"It…kinda slipped my mind, honest! That sorta thing happens to people!"

Side effects of the stare: induces babbling, perspiration, and an inability to produce a coherent thought. Is there any prescription to stop it? Mokuba doubted it would help his case if he slipped on a pair of polarized sunglasses.

"Okay, listen, Seto. The rest of the crew, everyone, is already there, setting up. We just need the space for the main ensemble and I. I've even sent Kako ahead to get everything ready in my place."

"Good thing, too, because there is no way I'd be letting her onto my plane, she'll probably spill something on the leather seats—"

"It's 6 people. I know for a fact that your jet can fit twice that many people, so there's plenty of room for luggage and things. I mean, it's not like you have to fly us across the pacific yourself, there's plenty of people for hire to do that. We'll even pay for the fuel; we just need the physical plane. Please, Seto? Pretty please with a steak at every meal and a bigger KC logo in the credits on top?"

Seto scowled at his younger brother. He was giving him _the look_. He knew that one well, yet it seemed impossible to counteract. Not the you're-so-mean-I'm-going-to-cry-if-you-don't-get-me-that-rock-band-video-game look (which was guilty for assault of the first degree to his wallet), but the puppy-dog eyes look. He couldn't even look away. Even if he was going to concede, he'd never give Mokuba the satisfaction that it was that easy.

"Fine," he grumbled as Mokuba whooped for joy. "But you know what this means…"

Uh oh… the stare with the superfluous name was bordering on malicious. Duck and cover, everybody. "That you get your own row in the front of the plane?"

"Since I'm in control of transportation, you have to divulge the ridiculous secret of where we're actually going. Now," Seto was enjoying this much more than he should. Mokuba's voice had almost broken on that last phrase. "Tell me everything."

--

A/N: So that's the highly anticipated chapter nine of Stranger Things Have Happened! I'm so sorry it's taken so long… this is ridiculous. I hope to get the next chapter of Synergy (check it please!) out in the next week too, so stay tuned! Good news is that I did actually go to a wedding while I was in hiding from this place, so now I have legit information about the ceremony and after-ceremony-ness. Oh, there are some good things planned… *cackles* Anyways, muchas gracias to **Kako, Blueshadows2010, Sakurelle, Sexii Lexii, Unique Art, Storm 38, UnlessAbsolutelyNecessary, iCraft, Yami no Game, BelovedDelusion**, and **– Silent I c e Vampire –** for the lovely and inspiring reviews. I love all of you guys!

That said, please drop me a line for this chapter; what you liked, thought needed improvement, was hilariously funny, etc. I'll be hard at work for Chapter 10!!!

Sakura Takanouchi


	10. It’s not always all drama, no movie

Title: Stranger things have happened

Author: Sakura Takanouchi

Summary: "It's not acting- I really do hate you," she spat. "We have to follow the script," Seto reminded her. "Eventually, your character falls in love with me." He smirked at her shocked expression. "I wonder, will you be acting then?" Setoxwho?

A/N: Movie allusions and pop culture references abound in this new chapter! Gotta find them all! _…Okay, there's one…_

Disclaimer: If you buy our order of space bags in the next ten minutes, then we'll throw in the rights to Yu-gi-oh! Just pay separate shipping and handling.

…But I didn't, so hence this disclaimer.

Chapter Ten: It's not always all drama, no movie

--

"_Since I'm in control of transportation, you have to divulge the ridiculous secret of where we're actually going. Now," Seto was enjoying this much more than he should. Mokuba's voice had almost broken on that last phrase. "Tell me everything."_

--

"Fine," Mokuba grudged. "I probably should have told you to begin with… you don't talk to anyone. In fact, you're probably the best secret-keeper in the world." His joke fell on deaf ears; his brother didn't even crack a smile. "We're flying to America… Southern California to be exact. It's the perfect vacation destination for our characters, and we got a huge discount for filming in the hotel that we're staying at."

"Is it always about the bottom line with you?" the elder Kaiba brother grumbled.

"Hypocrite," Mokuba shot back. It took only a matter of moments for Mokuba to realize. "I'm… I'm turning into you!" He gaped at Seto, who now looked highly amused. "Thank goodness we leave tomorrow for paradise. Mokuba's back!"

* * *

_Beep… …beep…beep…beepbeepbeep…_

"Alright, I'm up!" Serenity shouted to the offending alarm. Light poured in through the window, illuminating the space that she realized she was going to miss. It was the day. They were leaving today.

Twenty minutes later and she was showered, dressed, and nearly ready to go. Her suitcase was packed and ready beside the door, a large navy blue tote bag resting on top. She was just starting to bite into a toaster pastry when her phone rang.

"_Hey, Serenity! It's Mokuba. Look outside your window_."

She parted the blinds with two fingers and was astonished to see a black limousine parked on the street, with a frantically waving Mokuba poking out of the moon roof opening. "_Since we were so close, we're giving you a lift to the airstrip! Come on down whenever you're ready! Just make it fast, I'm not sure we're allowed to park here…_"

Serenity giggled as she hung up the phone, and quickly finished her breakfast. It was very nice of him to pick her up—it would save her a small fortune in taxi fares. She emerged from the building moments later, the hem of her navy dress fluttering in the gentle breeze. The chauffer immediately went to help her bags into the trunk, and she joined Mokuba in the limousine. Seto had his face buried in his cell phone, alternatively pressing buttons and tapping on the lighted screen. He didn't even acknowledge her arrival.

"I can't wait until we get there, and can continue our filming," Mokuba announced as the limo started to move away from the building, away from the city center. He nudged Serenity lightly with his elbow. "Are you excited?"

"Of course! I'm a little apprehensive, though…"

Mokuba interrupted her with a "you'll be fine!" and began chattering about the location, and how great it would be to relax someplace sunny.

Serenity smiled at him. "I'm starting to think you chose this place just so you could relax on the beach. " She looked up to see the azure eyes of Seto Kaiba upon her, as if judging her intently. Unconsciously, she shivered.

It wasn't long until they pulled up to a small airstrip secluded in a grove of trees. Serenity assumed they were either near the regional airport or this was a private strip, perhaps existing solely for the needs of KaibaCorp. They exited the limo; a fair-sized plane stood on the runway; white in color with a trademark blue eyes white dragon running along one side. It made Serenity giggle as they approached the plane.

Seto noticed her laughter. "What's so funny?" He grumbled.

"You," She replied, her eyes sparkling with mirth at the way he responded to her answer; it was as if she had slapped him. "I'm starting to wonder if you have a blue eyes white dragon tattoo somewhere on you."

"The question is not _if_ I have one, but _where_…" He let the answer hang, and with a smirk, effortlessly climbed up the stairs into the jet. Their chauffer would see that their luggage was safely stowed onboard.

"Wow it's so pretty…" Serenity was awed by the cream colored leather seats and the dark wooden accents which permeated the luxurious jet. Yami, Isis, and Duke were sitting along one row of seats; Serenity gave each of them a small smile before heading in to sit beside Mokuba, who had vocally claimed the window seat a moment before. Seto took the last seat, closest to the door, in the same row as the other two. The plane quickly moved away from the limousine and towards the end of the runway, ready for departure.

"Aren't you glad we're on our way… Serenity?" Mokuba's grin faltered as he looked across the row at his friend. "What's wrong?"

At the plane's first movements, Serenity had not only turned even paler than usual. Seto observed her coolly; _idiot girl probably had her seat belt fastened too tight_.

"Does the plane… travel like this?" She asked; her voice barely above a whisper. "Can you always feel it moving?" The plane turned on the runway and her head darted towards the window.

"Well, it's going to be travelling a lot faster than this…" Mokuba started chattering about the top speeds of the jet, Serenity shaking like a leaf.

"You've never flown before." She stopped moving. Seto's words were more of a statement than a question.

"Brilliant deduction, Sherlock," Serenity quipped, her mind thankful for the momentary distraction. "There's no way I could ever afford to go anywhere, so I've never been anywhere…although I can hazard a guess that no other plane is as nice as this one." Her hands, gripping both of the armrests, bumped against the sleeves of both Kaiba brothers. Mokuba placed his hand over hers, rubbing it gently. "You'd be surprised at some first-class cabins," he said as the plane started its race down the runway.

Serenity's eyes closed as the plane kept moving, increasing its speed. "Are you sure that there's enough room? We're not going to crash?"

"Don't be stupid," Seto looked out of the opposing window. The wheels had just left the ground and already the plane took to the air, soaring like the dragons painted along its sides. "Statistically speaking, it's the safest way to travel." His thumb jerked as it came into contact with Serenity's hand; was it warm in the cabin? She seized his hand, her eyes still tightly closed, and held on to it as the plane climbed through the atmosphere. It circled slowly, one wing banking to the right. "Open your eyes."

Timidly, first one eye opened, then the other. What began as fright led to curiosity and then awe at the image of the city below them. Domino lay beneath them like a postcard; the KaibaCorp tower being the tallest among the buildings. Her heart leapt in her chest; she could see trees, clouds, and the shimmering sea…

"It looks better at night, all lit up," Seto murmured, gazing out of the window.

"It's beautiful," Serenity whispered, entranced by the view which slowly disappeared under a cover of clouds.

"You can give me my hand back now," Seto replied, signaling a flight attendant over and asking for coffee.

"Oh…" Serenity's cheeks tinged pink as she folded her hands in her lap. She couldn't see the ground any more (just that thought alone was enough to make her queasy) but; _hand_ it to Seto Kaiba to shatter the moment.

Mokuba was leafing through a copy of _Skymall_, the pages flying in a wash of bright colors until he came to the KaibaCorp section. "Look, Serenity! KaibaCorp brand gaming merchandise for your home!"

"Um… that's great, Mokuba."

"See, you could get a cherry wood, green velvet topped gaming table!" He poked at the glossy image, forming a crease in the thin magazine page. "Nobody ever buys these things, but it does get us good exposure and it's funny to read the captions."

"Hmm… so you still consider yourself part of KaibaCorp, then?" She had the full attention of both Kaiba brothers now. "You said 'us' after all…"

"Well, I didn't mean to," Mokuba griped. "It's awful hard to escape it… everywhere there's not a blue eyes white dragon, there's a KC logo." He grinned, pressing the button to recline his chair back, and prop up his feet on the recliner which emerged from under the chair.

It was during the course of their flight that Serenity really learned to love flying. They all had 5-star dinners of steak and potatoes; they each had their own TV monitors, and when it was time to sleep, not only did their chairs lie flat, but they were brought a selection of pillows and blankets to accommodate them. Mokuba mumbled a sleepy "goodnight" and pressed another button which allowed a dividing screen to slide up from between the chairs, so that he wouldn't be disturbed by the lights or ambient noise from the plane. Serenity did the same, accidentally hitting several other buttons and summoning the flight attendant, who helped her get situated into her cocoon-like sleeping structure. She smiled, drifting off to sleep. _I should fly more often_.

She was used to waking up with the sun, so she wasn't surprised to find, upon emerging from her cocoon, everyone else fast asleep. She was even less surprised to find the spot next to her completely empty. _Seto Kaiba probably never sleeps… he just waits_. She giggled at the thought, her humor faltering at seeing the man himself walk swiftly up the aisle of the plane and into his seat. "Couldn't sleep?"

"I manage on four hours a day," he replied, his voice soft so as not to disturb the others. "You obviously got more than enough sleep. Go wash up, you look like hell."

He didn't outright laugh at her, but his words were all the action required to show Serenity how right he was. She ran a hand through her hair, knowing that it was all piled up on one side from sleeping on it. Her vision was bleary, and she probably had morning breath. She scowled; _some butterfly I turned out to be…_ In an instant she found herself in the washroom, opening a toothbrush from its plastic packaging and getting to work to make herself presentable.

When she emerged, Yami was also awake. She gave him a friendly smile and returned to her seat, where a breakfast tray was promptly placed in front of her. _A girl could get used to this…_ She dug in to her breakfast, almost sad to hear the announcement that they would be landing outside of John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California.

She was still nervous as the plane descended, but much more excited. Her first glimpse outside the window showed row upon row of squat little houses with bright clay tile roofs, all set amidst a verdant green backdrop. And so many of them had sparkling pools in the yards! What was the point, really, with the ocean so close…? The real thing was much better than a chlorinated imitation, any day. She gathered her things so she could be one of the first off of the plane.

The sun welcomed their arrival first; its rays soaking them with sunshine and causing them all to don sunglasses so they could make their way away from the plane. Mokuba had changed and was now all-director, herding everyone into two more black limousines that would take them to their hotel and set for the next ten days. Serenity was nearly dizzy from all the excitement—and apprehension. It really was Showtime, for all of them. She looked across at her companions. Isis was reapplying her makeup, and Duke was… well, he was probably looking at her from underneath his polarized sunglasses. _How could they be so calm?_

The limos exited the highway, following signs which bore the exotic sounding name of 'Crown Valley Parkway.' She could see greenery everywhere, from the quaint shopping centers to the adobe benches lining the street. The street kept winding, around and over hills, until suddenly the view opened up and—

"The ocean!" Serenity squealed, almost clapping at the sight. The other two regarded her amusedly.

"You didn't know we'd be staying at the ocean?" Isis asked; a hint of a smile on her face.

"Well, sort of… I guess I've just always loved the ocean."

"Well, then you'll faint when you realize where we're staying."

"Hmm?" The limo pulled in through two bronze gates, pulled open. Each had a signature lion in the design of the gates. Palm trees lined the drive, and a fountain was at the end, words affixed to it blazing in the sun. "The Profligacy Resort…?"

"Duke, turn on the air conditioning! And she hasn't even seen the building yet!"

* * *

The moment the limos pulled around to the stone circle, the doors were opened by smartly dressed doormen. Several more ushered them inside to the lobby, where their bags were taken away to their rooms. They obviously had prepared for their arrival, and wanted to make a good impression. Mokuba handled it like a pro, giving each a firm handshake and giving a friendly smile to the receptionist at the desk. Atem was gazing around the expansive lobby with a smile, while Seto Kaiba just looked uncomfortable in the humidity.

"Okay, we're all in the west end of the hotel. They gave us 'garden view'… whatever that is," Mokuba grumbled, handing each of them a separate key. They all marched down a corridor, led by another steward, who pointed out amenities along the way.

It wasn't until they had arrived at the hotel that Serenity had begun to feel the effects of her globetrotting. Now, gazing upon perhaps the most beautiful room in existence, she nearly forgot how tired she was. Everything was in soft shades of blue, white and grey, and so very, very clean. Her suitcase laid flat on a low wooden shelf; she felt herself slide onto a powder blue chaise as she looked around, breathless, taking everything in. _This_ was her home for the next week. Serenity looked to her right, a wide smile spreading across her face. She was _so_ jumping on that bed later. But for now, she wanted to nap. There was going to be an entire afternoon to explore the hotel.

* * *

Through her exploration of the hotel Serenity had found Isis lounging on the beach, Duke exercising in the gym, Yami browsing in the store, and Mokuba talking on his cell phone in one of the hotel's huge conference rooms. Feeling a little like she was eavesdropping, she crept back upstairs and into another room she wanted to visit—the library. Hopefully they had a good selection, and she would be allowed to take a book or two poolside. It beat staying in the stuffy, _dusty_ wood-paneled library anyways. To its defense, though, she liked old or obscure books—it was the best way to learn something new, in her opinion. She swiped a finger along one shelf and frowned; then felt the all-too-familiar itch along her nose. "Achoo! Achoo! Achoooo!"

"In a library one is usually silent," Seto Kaiba observed, appearing between the shelves, a book in hand.

"Then stop talking," Serenity shot back, feeling her eyes watering from all the sneezes. She scanned the shelves, ignoring the CEO. "Hmm… someone else must be reading it…"

"If you wanted a book about California, take this one," Seto thrust the book towards her; "It has lots of pictures, so it'd be perfect for you."

"Thank you." Serenity's civil words surprised both of them. They shuffled along the corridor brimming with books, Serenity looking for a way to keep the conversation going, albeit awkwardly. "Why did you need a book about California?"

"A new Kaiba Land theme park is slated to open in five years, outside of San Diego," he mentioned, "I'm doing research and working on getting that plan in motion while I'm stuck over here anyways," he replied dully.

"You're stuck here?" She queried, distaste already seeping into her tone. "Kaiba, you signed up for this little field trip, and everyone expects you to give it your all! Don't you dare disappoint Mokuba!" The book was waved in his face for an instant as Serenity departed, on a mad dash for the pool. She needed to get away from that pessimistic man. In the library, the dust from that book began to settle around his motionless frame. He cursed the girl as he fought the urge to close his eyes.

"Achoo!"

--

Profligacy: 'extravagance,' among other things ^ ^ basically me making fun of superfluously fancy resorts.

A/N: Heey! 3 months… not too shabby? Considering I have the best readers ever! Thanks to each and every one of you for making this my Most Lurked ™ Story!! I really couldn't have done it without you… keep on story alerting, building my story traffic, and reading away!! Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to **Blueshadows2010**, **Death101- Fox Version**, **- Silent I c e Vampire -**, **MaterialGirl69**, **midnight blue08**, **Tie4**, **blacksheep21**, **Kako**, **Storm** **38**, **Sakurelle**, **iCraft**, and **DIS** (The last chapter was basically gratuitous Silentshipping, I'm interested to hear your take on this chapter) for their amazing, uplifting, and all-star reviews. Doesn't that make you; too, want to review on my Most Lurked ™ Story? Yeah for exposure! Don't forget, it also helps me make this the best story it can be!

Now that I mentioned exposure…

If anyone out there is reading this and cares, I am seeking concrit/commentary of my new one-shot _Subtly, Almost Imperceptibly_. Its romance with a twist, basically the opposite of this story, and Revolutionshipping to boot! Besides, wouldn't it be comforting to know you've read at least one YGO fanfiction about a gargoyle? …no? Well, that's too bad!

Sorry for the long author's note; I hoped everyone enjoyed reading this chapter and I am continuing to write Chapter Eleven as you read this! Thank you for reading!

Sakura Takanouchi


	11. Seto wears shorts in this chapter

Title: Stranger things have happened

Author: Sakura Takanouchi

Summary: "It's not acting- I really do hate you," she spat. "We have to follow the script," Seto reminded her. "Eventually, your character falls in love with me." He smirked at her shocked expression. "I wonder, will you be acting then?" Setoxwho?

A/N: Okay, so this is the long-anticipated movie chapter! Except for the very last scene, everything in this chapter is scenes from the movie, so don't be confused by the use of their movie-character names! Now go forth and read!

Disclaimer: All I own is the plot of this increasingly ridiculous RomCom… do people even use that phrase anymore?

Chapter Eleven: Seto wears shorts in this chapter.

* * *

--

"_You're stuck here?" She queried, distaste already seeping into her tone. "Kaiba, you signed up for this little field trip, and everyone expects you to give it your all! Don't you dare disappoint Mokuba!" The book was waved in his face for an instant as Serenity departed, on a mad dash for the pool. She needed to get away from that pessimistic man._

--

The trunk of the sedan slammed closed, providing a crisp sound in the still of the morning. It seemed like not even the birds were awake yet. Shizuka Kawai smiled at the tranquility all around her. Ishizu and Ryuuji had already entered the lobby of the hotel, Ryuuji carrying most of their luggage. She picked up the handle of her rolling suitcase and followed them inside.

They had already gotten their keys, and a bellhop was waiting to show them to their room. He opened the door for them; revealing a small but sumptuously appointed space, with two double beds and a small easy chair by the window. Everything was covered in a dark blue fabric or stained dark mahogany. He left them to show Ryuuji his room, one floor higher. Once the door closed, Shizuka and Ishizu began giggling and jumping around the space.

"What's our hotel soap situation?" Shizuka asked. "Hey, pool view, not bad."

"This stuff looks amazing," was the call from the bathroom, "but we're going to need more lotion when you inevitably get sunburned. "

"Hey!" Shizuka picked up a pillow and tossed it at her friend as she exited the room.

"Might I suggest we go explore the hotel before we destroy our room?" Ishizu asked, smiling as the pillow missed her completely and sailed through the door into the bathroom.

"Let's do it!" They grabbed room keys and locked their door behind them.

"Shizuka, didn't you find it strange how Yugi didn't want to ride with us? He said all of his stuff wouldn't fit in our car, but I am not buying what he's selling."

"He texted me this morning to say that he was going to meet us at lunchtime on the main veranda," she answered as they made their way down the corridor. Even this space had plush carpeting and pictures of palm trees hung on the walls.

"Does that mean he's already here?"

"Beats me. Hey, let's check out the gym!"

After several hours, the girls had seen nearly every public space in the rather large hotel. After exploring more of the grounds, they climbed the steep flight of stairs up to the blindingly white tiled veranda. "Hey, isn't that Yugi over there?"

"Yeah, but who's that with him?"

As they moved to the veranda, Shizuka could plainly see Yugi standing near the railing overlooking the beach. He was talking with someone standing near him… upon seeing the second man, towering over Yugi, she knew exactly who he was.

"Shizuka, Ishizu!" Yugi greeted them cheerfully as they approached. "Let me introduce my cousin, Seto. This is Ishizu Ishtar; you already met Shizuka Kawai… He's staying with me all summer before his work starts up in the fall. I figured, what better time to meet some other people besides me?" Introductions were made, with Seto barely saying a word, instead preferring to watch the waves come in at the beach below.

"Too bad Ryuuji isn't here, he's the only one of us actually staying in Domino," Shizuka pointed out. "Where is he anyways?"

"Probably napping on the beach," Ishizu laughed. "Why don't we all walk down there? That's the only place we haven't been yet." After quick agreements they made their way down the winding path to the beach below. The hotel was literally built into the hill, with the beach below. They could make out surfers in the water, as well as people lounging on brightly colored beach towels.

"Hey, Yugi, can I ask you something?" Shizuka asked, purposefully slowing her pace as they walked. Ishizu didn't seem like she minded walking with Seto at all. "What is he really doing here? I thought this was our vacation?"

"I know you've met him before, and from your experience, does he honestly look like the sort of person to ever take a vacation?" She frowned a little at his words; she figured his mood would probably cause it to rain and ruin their good time. "He may need this more than we do… just give him a chance, ok?"

Shizuka groaned. "Alright, but I still fail to see how the two of you can be related. Come on, they're almost at the water already!" She raced ahead to the water, her shrieks of joy turning into surprise as the cold water washed over her feet. Yugi laughed at her, catching up to them. Leaving their shoes in a pile on the sand, they began to walk down the sandy beach. The hotel was built along a nice stretch of beach; rocks were visible in the distance, jutting far out into the ocean. The sun was shining brightly but it wasn't uncomfortably warm; a breeze continuously ruffled clothing and hair, cooling them down further. As they walked, with Shizuka nearly skipping through the water and with Seto's long strides, they soon pulled ahead of Yugi and Ishizu, who just seemed content to amble slowly along the sand, even searching for shells.

"So you're working? …once summer's over, that is?"

"Yes."

_Stupid question! Yugi already just said that! _She saw him roll his eyes at her lame attempt at conversation, "I'm going to graduate school."

"Really."

"Well, it really all depends on my portfolio, but it's practically a done deal." Her foot kicked against the water, making it splash up in front of her.

He frowned. "OK…"

She frowned to match his. "You could try, you know." He looked at her, confused. "It sounds like I'm talking to myself; you can do better than monosyllabic responses."

"I don't know you."

_Argh, he was so annoying_! He made her want to stamp her foot in frustration. She turned to him, annoyed. "That's why I'm trying here!" Her cheeks flushed with the effort. The wind blew Shizuka's hair in her face, causing her to angrily brush it away from her vision. Once it died down, she took in the view of the ocean, it causing her to instantly smile. "I just love the ocean; I always have." Even talking about it made her swing her arms a little as she walked. "I haven't been to the ocean since I was pretty young." She splashed her foot through the water, some accidentally falling on Seto's legs as he walked beside her.

"Don't do that."

Shizuka's eyes gleamed. "Don't do… what?" Her next foot, being closer to him, went through the water and splashed the bottom of his shorts. She laughed as he protested, disbelieving how someone could care so much. It was just water, it didn't stain or anything. "Is this what it takes to get you to talk?"

"Quit it Kawai, or you'll be sorry you started this," he warned.

She couldn't help it anymore—her laughs were coming out in gasps now, as she doubled over, clutching her stomach. "That's…what I'm talking…about…"

If she could see how he looked, she wouldn't be laughing. Seto was fuming. _How dare she laugh!_ He was no object of ridicule. People were starting to stare at them. This was all that stupid girl's fault. He stopped as she did, studying the waves as she bent over again to catch her breath. As they came in, two built together, forming a bigger wave that splashed around her legs. For the first time not caring if he got wet, Seto turned his food sideways and moved it harshly to the right. The water, colliding against that barrier, rebounded upwards and backwards, splashing all over Shizuka's left side. Some even got in her hair. Satisfied, Seto turned around and left, tired of walking on the beach. Already sand was all over his now soaked leg.

Shizuka suddenly pulled upwards. One second, she was laughing, the next she was drenched! And that water was _cold_! And where did Seto go? "Sheesh… why did he get so offended, I was just trying to help…" He was so rude! Just leaving like that, without saying anything! She couldn't even _begin_ to understand the way the gears in his mind worked. Not like she even wanted to. _I'm doing this for Yugi…_ even if he is the proudest man! He won't even allow himself to have any fun!

Arms crossed, she continued to stare out at the beach in front of her, willing herself back to the cheerful person they all knew. That she knew…she just wasn't one to hold a grudge like that. Bending down, she let her hands run through the incoming wave. Her fingers grasped against something small. She held up the shell to the light, in awe of how it nearly sparkled in the sunlight. It was even one of those shells which had a small hole eroded away in its corner. "How on Earth do they do that…?" She wondered.

"Heads Up!" The shout was directed at her. The volleyball hit the water near her left foot. She looked up to see Ryuuji running towards her. "Hey, Shizuka, you wanna play?" With the shell tucked into her pocket, she picked up the volleyball and ran after him to the net where a small group of people had assembled. It seemed Ryuuji already knew most of them. It made her laugh.

Unbeknownst to both of them, a spectator stood in his original perch up on the terrace. He could clearly make out the faces of his companions, either playing volleyball or simply walking along the beach or watching like he was. He still didn't know why he was here. He didn't need anything from any of them! He checked his watch; the sun was high overhead. What he did need was something to drink.

* * *

The sun had sunk and rose and was sinking again when the group assembled in the formal dining room for a shared meal. They had definitely relaxed during their stay so far—Ishizu had told them all about her shopping excursions, and Ryuuji's nose was red, a clear indication he had spent a lot of time on the beach. Shizuka found herself looking at Seto during most of the meal. _What had he done for the past two days_? She wondered because she had gone looking for him. She had pretended she was exploring, but really she was curious. And she had taken Yugi's suggestion to heart. She kept trying to bring him into the conversation, but he barely said a word except to give his order to their waiter. Hopeless. At least the others would laugh at her jokes.

At first glance Seto thought that some of his soup had gotten onto his shirt, or that there was something in his teeth when he had spoken to answer her question. But when the glance became much more than a lingering stare he could not fathom why her attention was so decidedly settled on him. Still, she talked and smiled at everyone, including their waiter—he noticed that she thanked him where Otogi practically threw his menu at the man—and he was almost willing to launch into the conversation just to rile her up a little.

The meal was delicious, and as it was charged to their rooms the gratification more complete. "I've got an idea," Yugi said as they all stood from the table, "Let's go to the bar next door and we can watch the sun set from over the ocean."

It seemed like a good idea to nearly everyone present; Seto was about to leave when he felt rather than saw Shizuka come to his side. "Come on," she urged. "Be social. It's good for you." Wordlessly he followed her and her group into the bar, a wooden paneled and chrome accented affair where a decent band was set up in the corner, playing live jazz music to serenade the drinkers and dancers. He couldn't help his annoyance at how easily she had gotten him to participate in the evening's festivities. She seemed to have that effect on everyone, and no one seemed to realize it.

"Is there anything you aren't good at?" _Damn_. The words slipped out; he hadn't meant to say them.

She appeared just as surprised as he was. "You'll have to discover that on your own. It's no fun giving everything away." She appeared triumphant, and he figured that she had been goading him to conversation the entire evening. He saw her watching the dance floor and could almost see the gears turning in her mind. "Do you want to dance?"

Wasn't it enough that he was here? "I don't think so."

"Why?"

"It's a little too soon for you to figure out what I'm not good at." He smirked at her to let her know that he wasn't serious before turning away from her; whether he was headed to the bar or to the exit hardly mattered anymore. His ego was stifling her! He thought he was so good at everything, too good to be around the rest of them. She contented herself with staring out the porthole-styled window, watching the sun as Yugi had suggested.

"I'm sorry you keep having to deal with him." Yugi frowned sympathetically. The band started a new song, and both of them perked up. "Come on."

Yugi was a good dancer, even though he couldn't lead very well. It didn't matter. They were having fun. "You shouldn't let him get to you."

"I know. I can't help it." He twirled her out, and then back in to a closed position.

"You're too caring sometimes. You should focus on yourself instead of always trying to make everyone else happy. We're your friends, Shizuka. Seeing you happy makes us happy."

She smiled and told him she'd consider it as the band finished their song and people clapped for them.

* * *

Shizuka wasn't sure why she was up so early, but she couldn't bring herself to go back to sleep after seeing how beautiful the weather was. She decided to go for a walk instead.

She expected birds and the occasional bunny rabbit to be her only companions, but upon emerging onto the veranda, she nearly walked into the table of a very familiar acquaintance. He had a cup of coffee and a newspaper in front of him and a tray of pastries in the center of the table.

"You."

Seto looked at her over his periodical. "How eloquent. I didn't imagine you to be an early riser."

Just to annoy him, she dropped into the other chair at the table and helped herself to a pastry. "Today is an exception. Why didn't you ask anyone else for company? Nobody likes eating alone." The croissant was exquisite.

The look he gave her was withering, questioning her sanity if she honestly thought him the type to _ever_ ask anyone else for their company. "Despite the obvious reasons, I didn't think it fitting to share the room Yugi and Ryuuji booked without compensation. I purchased my own room. Besides, I don't think they'd appreciate my waking up this early and I _abhor_ company." A pointed look was directed to her at the end of his monologue, though it was wasted on his companion who was blissfully munching on her breakfast.

She stopped. "That was nice of you, but I'm sure you didn't have to buy your own room."

"I could afford it, and it resulted in everyone's happiness." What was he doing? She was still here, at his table, eating his breakfast, and he hadn't done anything about it yet. They were even talking! He hated that for once he didn't mind her questions—_she talked less if properly fed_, he noted—and was beginning to think that he might actually be enjoying himself.

"I see." If she was in his position, she probably would've done something similar. He would probably be lonely in a room by himself, though. That was probably why he hadn't sent her away from the table. But just as they were on different sides of the table, she could tell that they were from two completely different walks of life. Sure, they had some things in common, but it was as if a line had been drawn down the middle of the table. They were two separate people, too different to really connect beyond a simple breakfast. She reached across the center of the table to snag another croissant.

* * *

The entire group had met later by the pool. That is to say, the group found Seto reading a book and decided to take over the neighboring chaises. Ryuuji then challenged Yugi to swimming laps, while Ishizu and Shizuka soaked up sunshine on their own chaises. "With all the new clothing you've bought, there's got to be somewhere we can go to show them off!"

"You're right!" Ishizu exclaimed, adjusting her sunglasses. "In fact, I read something in the hotel guidebook that the hotel hosts a party on the veranda and pool bar every Saturday night. We all should go; it sounds like a lot of fun."

"Yeah! That's a great idea!"

"Isn't it? In fact, I think we should book salon appointments for the same day! This hotel is supposed to have one of the best salons in the area, it'd be a shame to stay here and not visit!" They relaxed for a minute more, Ryuuji swimming up and slapping the tiled wall edging the pool. Yugi followed a moment later, finishing his last lap.

"Sorry Yugi, Ryuuji got the five before you," Shizuka teased. "But just barely." She turned to the man next to her to ask him what he thought about the hotel's party to find that Seto was asleep. She smiled at him, doubting that he was actually asleep. He probably just didn't want to talk to any of them. Her gaze lingered on him just a moment longer than necessary before she turned back to Ishizu.

* * *

It was Saturday morning and Seto was in his room. It wasn't like he had expected to see any of them until later on; he had been informed multiple times about everyone's spa and salon bookings. Seto had already decided to attend the party that night just to show them all that he could look better without the ridiculous salon makeover packages. It had nothing to do with the fact that she asked him to. She just wouldn't take a hint; he was suspecting that a Yugi intervention had been made at the beginning of their vacation. She seemed to be the sort of person that would do anything for a friend. Did she think of him as a friend? He banished those thoughts as he stared at the blinking dash on his web-enabled phone. He was going to be able to start his job as soon as he got back to Domino. That meant he could move into his house sooner. He probably wouldn't see any of them again. So why couldn't he stop staring at the white screen and blinking cursor?

A clock appeared on the phone's screen, informing him that it was five. It reminded him that he wasn't going anywhere for awhile…but he still had to get ready for the party. He had lied to himself earlier, though. It might take a little work on his part, but in the end, he'd still look the best.

* * *

Mokuba pressed the power button on the remote, turning off the TV he had been watching all morning. He and Kako had been watching playbacks of the scenes they had filmed in the first week of shooting on location. "This isn't that bad; Serenity can work a little harder, and Seto can look a little less serious."

"Are you kidding? Asking Seto to not look serious is like asking the sun not to rise in the East!" Kako crossed her arms.

"Still, I want to talk to you about the big party scene," he pressed. "I want it to look as natural as possible."

"We've got plenty of extras, and an entire night to shoot the scene. Next you're going to tell me that the problem is with the script." He didn't say anything, instead taking a sip from a can of soda at his side. It was really hot, even inside. She glowered at him. "Are you kidding me? My work is art!" Mokuba gulped down the rest of his soda. He may have been the one in charge, but he didn't want to cross Kako. Besides, having Seto Kaiba as a brother, Mokuba knew how to pick his battles.

"Come on, Kako," he stood and motioned for her to follow him out of the room. "We're scheduled for some behind-the-scenes time for the special features on the DVD."

--

* * *

A/N: My deepest apologies for the insane wait on this chapter. Real Life got in the way, as it does sometimes, but it's all better now. Reason why? My birthday is today!!! Whooo!! I try to do updates around my birthday, and this year is a double-up with _Synergy_. Since the next chapter is going to be about the coolest thing ever (you guys know I work parties into my stories whenever I can :) as well as a combo of movie scenes and the cast's reactions to them I'm going to try to get it up by the beginning of September.

I'm floored by the fantabulousness of the reviewers of the last chapter. Major 'props' goes to **yunsi**, **ScarletVampire93**, **UnlessAbsolutelyNecessary**, **Kako**, **virgofairy17**, **Jessica** **Lynne** **Greenleaf**, **DIS**, **Tie4**, **Harimad**, **Storm** **38**, **FireFairy032003**, **Pharaoh's** **Jewel**, **Blueshadows2010**, **midnight** **blue08**, **blacksheep21**, **Prudy**, and **Death101-Fox** **Version**. You guys are what make this story so much fun to write! To DIS: I am madly in love with semicolons. That's very much a me thing, and I try to cut back but I can't help adding them! And no, I can differentiate between concrit and flames, and I thank you for the concrit!

Jessica Lynne Greenleaf reminded me of something which I felt I hadn't really addressed like I should have: if a character shows up in "reel life" or the movie portion of this, then nobody knows who they are in "real life;" for example, Seto and Yami wouldn't know each other before filming, and the character of Yugi doesn't really exist beyond the character in the movie. There isn't any magic/Items/etc in this story, and so the rivalry between Joey and Seto is purely school or personality-clash based, not having anything to do with dueling. If its still confusing let me know and I'll try to explain it better!

Lastly, I hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter, and please leave a review before you go!

Sakura Takanouchi


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